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“Hey,” I said.
“What’s your name?”
“Ava,” I yelled over the music. “You?”
“Elliot,” he said, sipping his drink.
He set the drink down on the tray of a passing server and leaned in close to me. I could smell his cologne, but instead of turning me on, I felt a rock drop in the pit of my stomach. It wasn’t Tanner’s scent. I tried to ignore the feeling in my chest, but as his hand slipped around my waist, I knew I couldn’t do it. I pulled back and shook my head, turning quickly and setting my drink on the table. I walked quickly through the club, feeling like if I didn’t get air, I was going to suffocate to death. I burst through the exit door and took in a deep breath of the cold New York night. I started walking down the sidewalk, stopping half a block down and resting against a building. I ignored the stares as people walked by, knowing I looked like a drunk hooker.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the numbers, knowing who I wanted to call but hesitating for a moment. Screw it, I wasn’t going to let it go until I called. I dialed Tanner’s number and listened to it ring and ring, eventually switching to the voicemail. I groaned pulled the phone from my ear, hitting the end button. When the home screen came back, I realized it was late, after midnight, and it was a work night for Tanner. He was probably sound asleep in his bed. Just as I was getting ready to put my phone back in my purse, it rang, Tanner’s face popping up on the screen. I took in a deep breath realizing I had no choice but to answer.
“Hi,” I said quietly. “I’m so sorry that I called you that late. I didn’t realize the time.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Just wanted to hear your voice, I guess.”
“Are you drunk?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Brianna drag
ged me out to this new club, and I was so upset I just started drinking.”
“You need to be careful out there all alone,” he said sleepily. “Go grab a cab and get home safely, okay?”
“Okay,” I said, bummed that he was trying to get off the phone.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he said.
“Tanner,” I called out, but he had already hung up.
I sighed and walked forward, hailing a cab. I had screwed up so bad, made him so angry, that he didn’t even want to talk to me for more than a few minutes. Two weeks ago, he would have come and gotten me, taking me back to his place. But now, well now, he was sleeping and treated me like I was some random girl calling him in the middle of the night. I didn’t understand how he could turn his emotions off so quickly, but I wanted to learn his trick. I was already tired of feeling the broken heart inside of my chest.
Chapter 27: Tanner
My office seemed lonely and quiet, and I wasn’t looking forward to Ava coming in and giving her resignation. I didn’t want her to leave, and I couldn’t lie that when she called me the night before, I had been still awake, thinking about her. I wanted so badly to jump in my car and go rescue her, bring her back to the penthouse, and make passionate love to her, but I didn’t think I could handle the aftermath. Our relationship had been up and down, over and over again, and my emotions were pulled to the thinnest they could go without snapping.
She had made her choice to not be with me and to quit, and I had to accept that, move forward, and not jump every time she called. I knew she wasn’t doing it on purpose. I knew she was confused as hell, but I didn’t know how to be there for that and not be aiding her in continuing that behavior. Even if I had rescued her the night before, she would have had to eventually stop going in these destructive circles that she was stuck in. I thought maybe if I removed myself from the equation, it would help break the cycle.
I looked up as Ava knocked on the doorframe, her clothes pressed but her hair pulled back and giant sunglasses covering her eyes. She reached up and pushed her glasses up on her head, revealing her tired and puffy eyes. I could tell that she had one hell of a hangover, and I tried my best to hide the smirk trying to creep over my lips. I sat up in the chair and motioned for her to come in. She pulled herself from the door frame and walked in, closing the door behind her, and wobbling slightly as she walked.
“Wow,” I said with a chuckle. “How was your night last night?”
“Ugh,” she groaned. “Full of liquor and anger. You know, the normal.”
“Why were you all alone outside when you called me?”
“I was dancing on the dance floor, lost in the music, and this guy hit on me,” she said shaking her head. “So, I left.”
Instantly, without warning jealously blew through me like wind. I gripped down on the chair arms and looked down at my computer screen, trying not to show her how much that bothered me. Why was she telling me this? To make me jealous? I didn’t even know how to respond to it, and I could tell she was not realizing what it sounded like. I took in a deep breath and relaxed my muscles, knowing that I needed to cool down. Even if it did bother me that a guy was hitting on her, obviously, she didn’t go home with him since she called me after leaving the club. Still, just the idea of some other man’s hands on her made me want to break something, or someone. I cleared my throat and glanced up at her, but she was too hungover to even realize that I was struggling with the thought of another man. I was thankful since I was trying to keep my composure. I took in a deep breath to say something, anything to clear the silence, but before I could respond she leaned forward and began to speak.
“I didn’t like it,” she said. “I didn’t like another man anywhere near me. Just his proximity to me made me miss you terribly, even after trying to drink your memory out of my head.”
“Really?” I was taken back by her words, but not because she felt that way, more because she was being honest about it.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I went straight to Brianna’s yesterday when I left here, and though I didn’t want to go to the club, I didn’t know what else to do to get you out of my head. I missed everything about you and that guy’s cologne made me want to run away in tears, which was pretty much what I did. He probably thought he had an odor problem or something.”
“Serve’s him right,” I said angrily. She looked up and smiled, finally noticing the jealousy that I was no longer trying to hide.
