The waiter interrupts us before she can say more. Placing our orders, he leaves to grab our drinks.
“So, have you heard from the asshole?”
Nodding, I wince when I think about the calls and texts I have ignored. “Yes.” I say, not elaborating and for once Lana doesn’t push me.
“He doesn’t deserve you,” she whispers, her jaw tight.
“So, everyone keeps telling me,” I muse.
The waiter places down our sodas, informing us lunch will be out in ten minutes. Wanting to change the subject, I tell Lana about my weird encounter yesterday morning.
“Hey, you remember Jarrod, right? From my business class last semester.”
Lana’s brows furrow in thought before she clicks her fingers. “Yeah. Blonde, around 5’10.” She frowns. “Kind ofawkward, and always overfriendly with you. A bit of an odd ball?”
“That’s him.” I exhale, my teeth sinking into my bottom lip. Lana eyes me expectantly, waiting for me to speak. I don’t keep her waiting. “Well, I had a really… strange encounter with him yesterday morning.”
“What?”
“I was out jogging and he just appeared from nowhere.” I tell her. “The whole thing was weird. His mannerisms, the way he looked at me…” I trail off, a shiver running through my body just remembering my run in with Jarrod. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking it, but it was just odd.”
“How did he look at you?” she asks curiously.
I don’t hesitate. “The same way I look at Evan.”
She arches a perfectly shaped brow, laughing. “That could mean anything right now.”
I huff a laugh before sobering. I circle the rim of my glass, my eyes meeting hers.
I swallow hard before saying, “With love.”
Lana reaches across the table, taking my hand and gently squeezing. “I mean, you’re beautiful, Nais. It’s not shocking that you’d have a few admirers.”
Humming, I say. “This was different. It’s like he knew I’d be there.”
The smile she flashes me is soft, reassuring. “I’m sure it was just a coincidence. You’ve been through a lot these last couple of days, with all the Evan stuff.”
I laugh, slumping back in my chair, suddenly feeling ridiculous for my errant thoughts. “Yeah.” I pick my soda up, taking a sip to wet my dry mouth. “You’re right. It was probably nothing.”
But even as I say it, I shiver, that chill in my body like a warning beacon of what’s to come.
I don’t like it.
Not one bit.
Chapter 45
Evan
It’s been two weeks since Anais walked out of my life.
Fourteen days of unanswered texts and ignored calls. Of showing up at her apartment, only to be sent away by security before I could even press the elevator call button. Being banned from her building had Harrison written all over it. Asshole is being petty, wielding his power like a dictator and he isn’t afraid to show it. The phone calls and messages however, that is all Anais. It is clear she doesn’t want to speak to me, but I’ll be damned if I give up.
Now all I have left of… well, whatever we were… is a panoramic elevator and a necklace worth enough to buy prime real estate all over New York.
I’m angry. Out of control. And though I hate to admit it – hurt by the way she’s behaving.
Yeah, I fucked up. But it’s not like I cheated. And I never lied to her. I just refused to tell her brother, my best friend, the truth about our relationship. But what did she expect? I was afraid to lose Harrison. He’s been a constant throughout my whole life. The one person I could always rely on. When I started things with Anais, I stupidly never expected it to get as far as it did. I never thought I would fall in love. And now she’s punishing me. I understand it. To a point. But truthfully, I don’t believe the punishment fits the crime.
