Page 13 of Hate You to Love You

‘Alastair O’Callahan? Remember when he pulled his book from being included in one of those celebrity book clubs because he said it was too literary for them?’ another interjects.

‘I don’t think we should let gossip about her past overshadow the release of this book,’ says another voice. And this last voice is one that sounds deeply familiar, even after all the years we’ve spent apart. As Dallas and I make our way toward the group, Elliot lifts his head up and his gaze lands on me.

The first thing I notice is how different he looks. There is a faint shadow of stubble covering his face, which used to be clean-shaven. It makes his jawline appear more chiselled and defined. Just like the rest of his body, which fits perfectly in his slick suit. Had he been working out? That, combined with how he was carrying himself, told me that he was happy. He stood straight, shoulders arched back, and he wore a dazzling smile. Which was perfectly fine, even if it started to confirm my fear that Elliot was thriving without me.

Some things haven’t changed though, I notice. Like the way he stands with his hands on his hips, as if he’s commanding the attention of the entire room. And the fact that he has a takeaway coffee cup in his hand at 7pm. Elliot has always loved a coffee at any hour of the day. His hair is still swept back and parted down the middle, and there’s that smile. That goddamn, charming smile.

‘Elliot Simpson, I want you to meet Carlos Reyes,’ Dallas says as he guides me towards Elliot. ‘Elliot is a senior publicist at Redhouse. He’s also Claudia’s new publicist. Elliot, this is Carlos, a writer at Sparked.’

‘Nice to meet you, Carlos,’ Elliot says.

What is he doing? Why is he pretending like we didn’t know each other?

‘So, you want to get into publishing?’ Elliot continues.

All right. We were doing this. Game on.

‘I’ve thought about it,’ I reply sharply.

‘That’s nice,’ he says with a pitiful smile that makes my blood boil.

‘It’s a hard industry to break into,’ Dallas says.

‘Absolutely,’ Elliot adds. ‘A lot of work goes into making a career out of it.’

‘I’m sure it’s easy as long as you put work before anything else,’ I say flatly.

Elliot’s grin vanishes as he realises I’m not being playful. ‘Well, publishing is a job you do for the passion of it. It has to be a priority.’

‘At the expense of everyone around you?’

‘Sorry to interrupt,’ a woman I hadn’t noticed cuts in, ‘but did someone say your name is Carlos Reyes?’

‘I am,’ I tell her.

‘The journalist who’s going to interview Claudia?’ she asks.

The woman looks like she’s about to explode with excitement, but as she opens her mouth I put up my hand to stop her.

‘Sorry, I can’t really talk about it,’ I mutter, excusing myself from the group.

I charge towards the drinks table, reaching for another glass of white wine, but someone else swipes it away from me. It’s Elliot, again. He sips the drink with a brazen grin.

‘Wow, they actually sprung for a decent bottle tonight,’ he says after taking a sip. ‘You should have some.’

‘Sorry, but I’m not in the habit of drinking with strangers.’

Elliot tilts his head and lets out a laugh. ‘Oh come on, Reyes, I was only teasing before.’

‘Oh, so you do know who I am. Why did you pretend you didn’t know me back there?’

‘I was doing you a favour. Given our… complicated history.’

Was that all it came down to? History? When I don’t respond, Elliot lets out a sigh.

‘Look,’ he says. ‘I’m just trying to make things less awkward for us.’

‘Awkward?’ I repeat. ‘I haven’t heard from you in three years. I just… You could have picked up the phone to try to clear the air.’