Ryan dropped onto a bench, wiping his face with his shirt. Dalton pulled out his phone and scrolled.
“You need a fucking hobby,” Dalton muttered, shaking his head at me. “One that doesn’t involve running us into the goddamn ground.”
Ryan hummed his agreement before handing me a water bottle. I took it, draining half the contents in one go.
Dalton’s gaze flicked toward the path. “How about that one?” I followed his line of sight and saw a beautiful woman walking toward us. Tall, toned, blonde. The type of woman I’d usually take home without a second thought. “She’s checking you out. Go say hi.”
I scoffed. “Not interested.”
Dalton raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t been interested in anyone since Elise left.”
Because there was no one else.
No one who made my pulse race with a single look.
No one who filled a room with her presence alone.
No one who felt likehome.
“It’s Elise or no one,” I said simply.
Dalton sighed. “I get it, man, but at some point, you have to move on. She’s clearly not giving you a second chance.”
A sharp pang of pain sliced through me, but I masked it with a smirk. “I just need more time.”
Dalton let out a short laugh. “Time, huh? Guess she figured out how to keep herself busy in the meantime.” He held out his phone and shoved it in my face before I could react.
A music video played.
Titan sat in a chair, center stage of the video set, while Elise stood behind him, her hands gliding slowly down his chest in perfect sync with the beat. He tilted his head back, dangerously close to her breasts, playing his part of being hypnotized by her to perfection.
My jaw clenched.
Elise spun, her hips swaying in flawless rhythm as she stood in front of him, her body made for the spotlight. Titan leaned forward, their foreheads nearly touching, their lips just inches apart.
The illusion of a kiss, captured on film for the world to see.
Forever.
My pulse pounded as I scrolled down to the comments.
Titanluvsme4eva: I love the chemistry between him and his lead dancer, Elise.
Cliffhanger039: They’re smashing. There’s no way it’s just professional!
Totally4Titan: The chemistry between Elise and Titan is unmatched. They need to start dating already if they aren’t!
I swallowed hard, the blood in my veins turning cold. My fingers gripped the phone tighter. My stomach churned.
It wasn’t just the comments. It’s the way Titan looked at her, the way she lets him touch her. The tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I thought I was giving her space. But the truth was, I was losing her.
My breath hitched, and I felt a rush of panic rise in my chest. I stopped reading, my grip tightening on the phone beforeI shoved it back at Ryan. Silence pulsed in my ears, louder than the waves crashing against the shore.
My birthday was in two days.
I’d be thirty years old.
I should’ve been proud. The label I carried on my back since taking over for my father was stronger than ever. But none of it mattered, because Elise was slipping through my fingers. The stipulation deadline was closing in, and without her, I’d lose it all.
