Chapter 247: cousins talk II
Anthony didn’t answer immediately.
For several seconds, he remained silent.
Then he leaned back in his chair and exhaled.
"It bothered me."
Damian frowned slightly.
"What did?"
"Yesterday."
"That much I gathered."
Anthony gave him a brief look.
"No."
He paused.
"Not you."
Damian went still.
Anthony looked down at his hands.
"Seeing her with you bothered me."
A beat.
"But it wasn’t because you were the one beside her."
Damian’s expression changed slightly.
Anthony continued before he could ask.
"I realized that when I thought about Fred."
Damian said nothing.
"I didn’t like seeing her with him either."
His jaw tightened.
"And that made me realize something I hadn’t wanted to admit."
Damian watched him carefully.
Anthony finally looked up.
"It wasn’t the man."
His voice was quiet.
"It was her."
Silence settled between them.
Damian understood immediately.
And somehow, that realization made him more uncomfortable than the confrontation had.
Anthony continued.
"I didn’t like seeing her flirt with other men."
He paused.
"I didn’t like seeing them touch her."
Another pause.
"And I didn’t like seeing her enjoy their attention."
Damian’s jaw tightened.
Anthony gave a small, humorless laugh.
"I suppose that should tell me something."
"It does."
Anthony looked at him.
Damian held his gaze.
"You want her."
Anthony was silent.
Then, after a moment:
"Yes."
The admission was quiet.
Simple.
And strangely difficult.
Damian leaned back.
He had expected it.
Perhaps.
But hearing Anthony say it aloud still felt different.
"Do you love her?"
Anthony’s expression tightened.
"No."
The answer came too quickly to be anything but honest.
"I don’t."
Damian studied him.
"Then what do you want?"
Anthony looked away.
"That is the problem."
He rubbed his thumb slowly against the edge of the table.
"I don’t know."
Damian said nothing.
Anthony continued.
"I know I’m attracted to her."
He paused.
"I know I wanted her when she was still my fiancée."
His gaze lowered.
"And I know that when I thought she would eventually be my wife, I never felt any urgency to act on it."
Damian listened.
"There was always time."
Anthony exhaled.
"I thought that if I wanted her, I could deal with it later."
He looked up.
"Now there is no later."
Damian’s expression softened slightly.
Anthony continued.
"And apparently, knowing that she’s free to choose someone else has made the attraction considerably harder to ignore."
Damian was quiet for a moment.
Then he said,
"So you want her."
"Yes."
"But you don’t love her."
"No."
"And you don’t know whether you want her back."
Anthony hesitated.
"No."
Damian leaned back.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Damian’s expression hardened.
"Then what do you expect her to do?"
Anthony looked at him.
"What?"
"What do you expect Vivienne to do while you figure that out?"
Anthony didn’t answer.
Damian’s voice remained calm.
"Wait?"
Silence.
"Wait until you decide whether you want her?"
Anthony’s jaw tightened.
"Damian—"
"No."
Damian shook his head.
"You can’t do that."
Anthony stared at him.
"You told her you didn’t love her."
"I know."
"You agreed to end the engagement."
"I know."
"You gave her every reason to believe she was free."
Anthony looked away.
Damian’s voice softened, but the words became sharper.
"So how is it fair to her if you now decide that you don’t like seeing other men pursue her?"
Anthony had no immediate answer.
Damian continued.
"You don’t have to love her."
He paused.
"You don’t even have to want her back."
His gaze remained steady.
"But you can’t ask her to remain available while you decide what you feel."
Anthony’s expression shifted.
Damian looked away for a moment.
Because saying it was easier than admitting what it meant for him.
If Anthony eventually decided he wanted Vivienne—
where did that leave Damian?
He had already told himself he was finished.
He had already decided to stop pursuing her.
He had already told himself that whatever happened next was none of his concern.
And yet—
How is that fair to her?
The thought came easily.
The other one was harder.
How is that fair to me?
Damian pushed it aside.
He looked back at Anthony.
"You need to figure out what you actually want before you do anything."
Anthony gave a faint, tired smile.
"Since when did you become an expert?"
Damian almost laughed.
"I didn’t."
Anthony’s mouth twitched.
"You’re twenty-two."
"And you’re twenty-one."
"Exactly."
Damian shook his head.
"I’m not saying I know what I’m doing."
He paused.
"I’m saying this seems obvious."
Anthony actually smiled this time.
Only faintly.
"That’s comforting."
"It shouldn’t be."
They sat in silence for a moment.
The tension between them had changed.
It was no longer a confrontation.
Not quite.
It was something stranger.
Two cousins trying to make sense of a woman neither of them had ever properly learned how to understand.
And, perhaps more inconveniently, two men who had discovered that wanting the same woman was considerably easier than deciding what to do about it.
Anthony looked at Damian.
"There is one thing I still don’t understand."
"What?"
"Why did you pursue her so openly?"
Damian’s expression tightened.
He knew exactly why.
But he wasn’t sure he wanted to admit how badly he had wanted to make his intentions known.
Especially now.
He looked away.
"I suppose I was afraid someone else would get there first."
Anthony studied him.
Damian gave a quiet sigh.
"That doesn’t sound very dignified, does it?"
"No."
"Thought so."
Anthony’s lips curved faintly.
For the first time that evening, Damian laughed.
Then his expression settled again.
"But I meant what I said."
Anthony waited.
"I won’t blame her for what I chose to do."
He paused.
"She was free."
Anthony nodded slowly.
"I know."
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
The words settled between them.
There was nothing else to argue about.
The engagement was over.
Vivienne was free.
Damian had the right to pursue her.
Anthony had the right to decide what he wanted.
And Vivienne, ultimately, had the right to choose either of them—or neither.
None of that had changed.
But something else had.
They had spoken.
Honestly.
Directly.
There would be no misunderstanding between them now.
Damian felt some of the tension finally leave his shoulders.
Whatever happened next, at least he wouldn’t have to wonder whether he had betrayed his cousin.
And Anthony wouldn’t have to wonder whether Damian had deliberately gone behind his back.
Damian smiled faintly.
"I’m glad we talked."
Anthony looked at him.
"So am I."
A small silence followed.
Then Damian pushed himself to his feet.
𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
"Come on."
Anthony raised an eyebrow.
"Where?"
"It’s late."
Damian gave him a faint smile.
"Besides, I think we’ve exhausted our supply of uncomfortable conversations for one evening."
Anthony actually laughed.
"Probably."
They walked out together.
Neither man knew what would happen next.
Neither knew what Vivienne wanted.
Neither knew what the other would ultimately choose to do.
But for tonight, at least, they were still cousins.
And there was no bad blood between them.