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“One minute,” she said with a smile.
I heard Ashleigh huff in front of us. I nodded at Jen, and then she headed for the line for the bar.
“That was unnecessary,” Ashleigh spat. She whirled on her heel and stalked out of the room.
A smile tugged at my lips as I followed her. Damn bold of Jennifer to kiss me right in front of Ashleigh. I liked this side of her.
We ended up in a mostly empty area of the lobby. Nearly everyone had moved into the concert hall already. The last thing I wanted was to be alone with Ashleigh. As furious with her as I was, we’d still dated for two years. And she knew how to get to me.
I crossed my arms over my chest and waited. “What’s this about?”
“So,” she said, still facing away, “you managed to dress her up. Cute.”
I sighed. “I’m not here to discuss my girlfriend with you.”
Her shoulders stiffened. She asked very softly, “Girlfriend?”
“Yes. My girlfriend.”
She whirled around. There was shock and revulsion on her face. “You’re with her? After me, you picked someone like her?”
“You should get to your point. I’m not going to stick around to hear you degrade Jennifer or my choice to date her.”
“You’re actually serious.”
“I am. I’m here like we planned, but I’m with Jennifer now. That’s how it is.”
Something shattered as those words hit her. Her mask faltered and fell.
Everyone had always asked me what I saw in Ashleigh. Why I’d want to date someone who was sometimes cruel and uncaring and vicious. I’d always said that she was different with me. Up until the moment that she’d ruined it all, I’d argued that. And here, I saw the vulnerable girl who’d been hurt by a mother who didn’t see her worth and a father who didn’t care enough. It was the girl I’d fallen for all along. Too bad it took me dating someone else for her to find that girl again.
“Sure. Okay,” she said. “That’s how it is now.”
She wrapped her arms around her stomach and didn’t meet my eyes.
“Ash…”
“I’ll grab you when the distributors arrive.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Forget about everything else.”
I sighed. A part of me wanted to comfort her. I didn’t like to see her hurting, but at the same time, she reaped what she sowed. I hadn’t ended it because I didn’t care about her, but because she’d lied and manipulated and hurt everything we had. She’d thrown us away long before I’d put an end to it.
“Have a good party,” she said and then hurried away from me.
I ran a hand back through my hair and muttered, “Fuck,” into the empty room.
I couldn’t do anything about Ashleigh. That ship had sailed. I needed to get back to Jen and try to salvage the night.
25
Jennifer
The drink line was outrageous.
I just wanted something to calm my nerves. I’d actually spoken to Ashleigh. That felt like a drastic improvement. Even if Julian immediately disappeared with her. He’d said a minute. It’d been more than a minute.
Of course, it was an exaggeration, but still…the nerves. I’d taken my medicine before coming here. I wasn’t great in social situations to begin with. Big events like this definitely heightened my own issues. Not to mention, Ashleigh Sinclair.
Finally, I reached the front of the line. I ordered us drinks, and as I was about to pay for them, hands snaked around my waist. I jumped in surprise and whirled around to find Julian smiling down at me.
“I got it,” he said, dropping cash on the bar. “Keep the change.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did.”
We picked up our drinks and found a table to regroup.
“Sorry about leaving you behind,” he said as soon as we took our seats.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s really not.”
“Why did she even want to talk to you?” I couldn’t help but ask.
He sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. Just to get the upper hand. It doesn’t really matter because it didn’t work.”
I nodded. Though I was uncertain. I thought getting him alone had been a smart move on her part if her goal was to try to get between us. I had to remember that Julian was here with me. He wanted to be with me. He’d gotten me this outrageous dress and shoes. There was no reason to panic. Other than…life.
Julian downed the rest of his drink in one long gulp. Then, he rose to his feet and held his hand out to me. “Come on. Let’s dance.”
“Dance?” I squeaked, taking another fortifying sip of my vodka cranberry.
“Yeah. I don’t think the distributors are here yet. We have some time to enjoy ourselves before I need to talk business.”
I made a face. “I didn’t know that included dancing.”
“I’m an excellent partner, I assure you.”
I laughed, finishing the drink with a wince. “I’m not worried about you.”
