I wasn't sure when I fell asleep but I awoke to Talys sitting at the edge of my bed, deep in thought. I watched him through eyes that were barely cracked open, peeking at him through my lashes. I couldn't be sure how long he'd been there but he didn't look very happy about it. Was he upset that I wasn't waiting for him in his bed when he came back? That I wasn't being a sucker still?

I was still questioning his motives when he suddenly got up and headed for my door. "I'm sorry, Vera."

"What're you doing in here?" If he was feeling bad for tossing me under the bus, I wanted to see if he'd be honest with me.

Although he was clearly surprised, he turned around with a smile at the ready and my furious little heart cried out in indignation. Don't try that on me, Talys.

"Did I wake you? I was just checking in to make sure you were doing alright. I was surprised you left my bed."

"What're you doing in here?" I repeated.

His brows drew together. "I just came to check on you."

"Why bother?" My voice was growing more terse. I didn't know what I was supposed to do anymore. How I was supposed to handle myself. I'd opened up to him, as much as I could in the little time I'd known him, and that blew up in my face. I simply knew I wanted him gone. I wanted all this to be done and over with.

"Did I upset you somehow?"

"Does it seem like you did?"

He turned back around and started toward me, but I sat up and held out a hand. "Don't. You don't need to be over here to talk to me."

"Are you going to talk, or remain infuriatingly cryptic?"

"Says the guy who can't even keep his personality straight from one second to the next."

Talys frowned. "Is your head alright? Should I get Artos? He's good with these sorts of things, so—"

"This isn't about my head, Talys." I tossed my hands up in the air and let out a heavy sigh. "This is about me and you, and whatever weird thing we've had going on."

"It's not that weird."

"It is. I don't know you. You don't know me." I narrowed my eyes. "I mean, I don't even know if you're trustworthy, do I?"

"What's this about?"

"It's about the fact that this isn't going to happen. Letting myself have even a little bit of feelings for someone like you is setting myself up for hurt. And yet, I'm drawn to your type like a moth to a blazing flame. It's so damn obvious I'm going to get burned, yet—"

"Where is this coming from?"

He started toward me again, and I shook my head.

"Don't. Just . . . forget all of this. Pretend I never existed and go on with your life." He planned on doing just that anyway. Now he had my blessing to shake off whatever weird, cabin fever-esque attraction he had for me.

"I thought I was starting to understand you." He spoke in a quiet voice. "I thought we'd come to an understanding of some kind."

"Yeah, well, it turns out we still see things very differently."

He ran a hand along his jaw, nodded, smiled wide, then left my room. Congratulations, Roxa, he's all yours. Until the next one comes along. Then the next one. I buried my face in my pillow, muffling something between a groan and a shout. When would I learn to stop falling for beautiful jerks that lied to my face?