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His scowl deepened. “Ghosting you? Maybe, but not without cause.” My eyebrow lifted in silent question, so he continued. “’You’ve been dealing with me for weeks. I used you like I do with everyone else. They should just get rid of me. You never liked me. You were putting up with me.’ … Shall I go on?”
With every quote, my eyes widened, and more laughter broke free. “Wow.” I took a step back, shaking my head. “Woooow.” I breathed out, turning away from him to look at my stuff before turning back to him. “You assumed I was talking about you while eavesdropping on my conversation, huh? And instead of talking to me about itlike a man, you threw a temper tantrum because that’s the only thing Abel Clarke is good at.” I shook my head in disbelief, even though he was still scowling like the sight of me made him sick.
“If you weren’t talking about me, then who are you talking about?” he finally asked, a bit too defensively.
I laughed, shaking my head. “Does it matter? You were so convinced it was you that you were ready to ignore me for the rest of our lives as opposed to asking me what was going on.”
We were both stubborn people, that much I was sure of, so as I held his gaze, I was pretty confident he wasn’t going to back down or admit he did wrong. Then, his face fell.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He looked genuinely sheepish. “I guess when I heard you speaking like that, it hit a nerve I didn’t know I had. Not that I’m trying to make excuses because nothing can excuse my behavior, but it hurt, and my reaction to being hurt is to run.”
I nodded as I continued to stare at him. I couldn’t fault him for that answer. Of course, I felt that way sometimes too. The easiest thing is to run, but as I said to Naya earlier, I wanted a man who would cross heaven and earth for me. Someone who would wade through the stickiness of his feelings to fight for me instead of running in overwhelm.
“I don’t know if I can forgive you for reacting that way,” I finally admitted. “If I’d heard you say something similar, I would’ve confronted you about it. I would’ve wanted to know your side of things before deciding to cut you out of my life without looking back.”
Twelve
ABEL
“Maybe I’m a few hours too late. But when I realized what I was letting slip through my fingers, I bought a ticket. I was planning to go to Chicago and hunt you down if that’s what it took. I planned to do whatever it took to convince you that what we felt was real.”
She looked unconvinced, so I stepped forward pleadingly, trying to push the spreading headache back. Being hungover and trying to win back the woman I loved was not meant to work together. But I would make it work. If only because all these cameras were still pointing at us, and the last thing I needed was to look sloppy while confessing my heart and soul to this woman.
It would’ve been better if we had made our way somewhere more private, but beggars can’t be choosers, and I planned to beg if need be.
“And what if I told you that buying a plane ticket and going to Chicago wasn’t enough? Then what? What would you do? Would you give up?”
Honestly, I didn’t have a plan. I had hoped this would work out. If it didn’t, I’d pivot and find another way to convince her, but it was a bridge I hoped I wouldn’t have to cross. “No. Iwouldn’t give up because, as crazy as it is, I’ve fallen in love with you in less than a week, Scout. They sent you to me to clean up my act, and in doing so, you cleaned up my life. You made yourself so integral to it that I can’t even begin to imagine what my life would look like if you weren’t in it because I don’t want to imagine what that looks like.”
She let out a soft laugh. “Well, we both know what that looks like … a four-hundred-dollar alcohol order on UberEats.”
I laughed, too, even if it wasn’t that funny. “I have never been so violently ill as I was on the way here in the car. But I am confident I’ve puked all the alcohol out of my system.”
She scrunched her nose at the image, making me chuckle again, forgetting I was supposed to be groveling for a second.
“Okay, but that doesn’t answer my question, Abel.”
I nodded, quickly growing serious once more. “Honestly? I’m not sure. I hoped this would work, but if I had to … I’d do anything.”
“Anything?” She said in disbelief.
With another nod, I continued, “I guess what I’m trying to say is that if I had to, I would give it all up. I would give up the fame, the fortune, the glitz, the glam, the movies … Everything. I would quit acting to prove that whatever this is, it’s the most important thing in my life. The only thing I need is the magic I feel when I’m with you, the butterflies in my stomach every time we kiss, the desperate need that fills me every time you give me one of those smiles that tells me you’re going to be a pain in my ass, but I’m going to love every minute of it. Those are the only things I need. Just you. The rest is all filler, and compared to you, it’s meaningless.”
Taking my chance, I held my hand. It was such a simple gesture, but it has so much meaning. She had to make a choice, was knowing I’d give it all up for her enough?
She sighed. Her eyes drifted across the crowd of people watching us. As we spoke, audience reactions echoed around us, but like every time I was with Scout, none of it mattered. It was just her and I, and the rest was white noise.
“For the love of God, don’t quit your job. We can’t both be unemployed.” She offered me a smile as she took my hand.
My eyebrows lifted to my hairline. “What do you mean both unemployed?”
“It’s a long story. Maybe it’s time we head to the first-class lounge to speak in private?” She looked hopeful, and I was about to crush her dreams.
“The only ticket they had was for economy. I’m at the back of the plane.” I tried not to sound too disappointed but failed miserably when Scout laughed.
“God, imagine Abel Clarke having to sit with us commoners. Don't worry, we'll fly first class when we come back for the New Year’s Eve party.” She winked playfully before tugging my hand and pulling me through the crowd back to where she left her bag. As she reached for it, I caught up and swooped in.
“I am chivalrous when you let me.”
