At that moment, my eyes caught on something along the horizon. A band of greenish fog had risen up. It was lovely. But… green fog?

“What the hell is that? The zombie apocalypse?”

“Aurora Borealis,” Jordan muttered.

“Northern lights? You can see them this far south?”

“Sometimes. I saw the forecast for them tonight, so I asked the concierge for a good place to go see them. Some place dark enough and away from the city. He got me the rental.”

I watched as, slowly, the green light arced upward from the horizon, like fingers grasping at twinkling celestial jewels. The streaks of light grew into emerald tendrils curving across the dome of stars, transforming everything into a giant cathedral of light that stretched into eternity. They moved like distant phantoms, reflected on the still water of the sound.

“So beautiful.”

Jordan bent forward, resting his elbows on the railing without taking his eyes off the beautiful vision in front of him. “It’s like…magic really does exist,” he said reverently.

I was comforted by his demeanor, relieved that he appeared to not be as angry as he claimed. I took a deep breath and decided to take a chance. Reaching out, I placed my hand on top of his. “I really shouldn’t have done that.”

“There’re a lot of things you shouldn’t have done,” he said between clenched teeth, jerking his hand away. That action hurt and I swallowed the feeling, knowing that I probably I deserved it.

“Would it help if I said I was sorry?”

“Maybe. But only if you were actually sorry, which you aren’t.”

“Was it that bad?”

He stiffened but didn’t answer me. In the silent night, there was only the gentle lap of the bay water against the shore.

“Do…do you still love her?”

He huffed out a laugh, a faint cloud of vapor escaping his lips. “Don’t be idiotic, please.”

“Then—”

“She deserved what I did. Got it? She destroyed me. You have no idea. There was not another person on this planet that I trusted more than her. ”

I watched him carefully. “So I take it you had nothing to say to each other?”

He rubbed his forehead. “No, that’s not what that means.”

“I didn’t do it to hurt you…I hope you know that. I was trying to help—”

“You have no fucking idea what will help and what won’t. Keep your nose out of it from now on.”

His words hurt. Of course they did. But I couldn’t take my eyes off the way he was white-knuckling the railing of the pier. Something about that confrontation with her had deeply distressed him. Either because of what he’d said or what he hadn’t said.

“I see. So no one is allowed to care. Not your grandpa. Not your mom. Not me.”

“I never asked you to care.”

I craned my head to get a look at him. “You didn’t have to ask me.”

He bent down to get in my face. “Don’t do it, Weiss. It was sex. It was good. Don’t fool yourself into thinking it was anything more than that. You’re not my girlfriend. You’re not even my friend. Got it?”

Tears sprang to my eyes and I jerked back. A slap across the face would have felt better. That was beyond harsh. But he didn’t care. I huffed at him. “Reading you loud and clear. No one is allowed to care.”

“You’re not allowed to care. You’re just another one who’s fucked me over.”

I blinked. Now he was referring to the video. My mind raced to things he’d said before…about how he wasn’t a nice guy. He’d told me he got back at people who screwed him over.

“I see. So that’s what last night was about? Revenge?”

“Last night was about sex. I already told you that.”

“How many ways can I explain to you that uploading the video was an accident?”

His eyes blazed into mine. “Why should I believe it? You’ve got me over a barrel, don’t you? If I don’t write that glowing recommendation, you can go to my boss and—”

I gasped and held up my hand to stop him. “Don’t even finish that sentence. I’ve never threatened you and I never will.”

“You didn’t have to. You had me by the balls before you were ever my assistant.”

It made no sense for him to think that. Until two days ago, I had no idea he was even Falco! But he was so wound up right now, he clearly couldn’t think straight.

“No wonder you’re afraid of people getting too close. Believe it or not, Jordan, we don’t all think and act like you do. Some of us refuse to let that darkness poison us.”