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“You think so?” I questioned, my voice wavering. I couldn’t help but wonder if everyone around me was simply playing a game—Christopher included.
“Trust your instincts,” he advised, echoing Christopher’s earlier words and further fueling my doubts.
“Thanks, Ethan,” I murmured, forcing a smile onto my lips. He nodded as someone else screamed for him. It was his turn. I nudged him away. “I’ll be right there.”
Ethan hesitated, looking between me and the group before nodding and heading back there. His boisterous personality was immediately back on as he faked a broken heart at the score.
My fingers traced the edge of the glass in front of me, the condensation damp beneath my touch. Was it possible that Alexander truly loved me? Or was I setting myself up for heartbreak by giving him another chance?
“Olivia,” a deep voice called out, and my body tensed at the sound of Alexander approaching. His intense gaze locked onto mine, causing my breath to hitch. “May I join you?”
“Go ahead,” I whispered, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks as he sat down beside me.
It felt surreal. Him, here, now?
“About earlier…” he began, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “I want to apologize for my actions. I’ve been struggling with some things, and I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
His vulnerability disarmed me, and I couldn’t help but feel my resolve begin to crumble. But what if this was just another manipulation?
“Alexander, can you tell me something?” I asked, my voice barely audible over the roar of blood rushing through my head.
“Anything,” he replied, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Did you lie to me about anything that night?” I bit my lip, scared of what he was going to say.
He sucked in a deep breath. “I lied about staying at the office. I knew that I was going to dinner with Natalia, I knew that it wouldn’t look good because I agreed to only be with you, and I didn’t put enough trust in you to believe that this was business.” He looked up. “But I should have. You know that meetings are nothing more, and you were right. Me hiding it made it so much worse.”
But even as I yearned to believe him, my mind whispered doubts that refused to be silenced. This unexpected encounter had left me at a crossroads—and I didn’t know which path to choose.
Chapter Twenty-One
Olivia
The heat of frustration seared through my veins as I watched Alexander, his back turned to me while he busied himself with a stack of documents. After he had seen me at the bar, he hadn’t stayed long, insisting he didn’t want to intrude on me and my friends. And we hadn’t talked since.
I pulled out my phone, trying to ignore him, and opened my thread with Mia. She was away on a trip, and it killed me not to have her around.He’s pissing me off.
What did he do now?She answered immediately. I had told her about the bar incident last night, and she had sided with him, as frustrating as that was.
Breathe.It’s petty, but I don’t care.
You need to talk to him.I huffed, rolling my eyes just as the next one came in.I mean it.
The tension between us had grown too thick, suffocating the air around us, and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed answers. I needed to understand.
“Alexander,” I said, my voice trembling ever so slightly. He turned toward me, his stormy eyes meeting mine, betraying no emotion. “We need to talk.”
“About what?” His tone was cool, detached, making my chest tighten with indignation.
“About us,” I snipped back, trying to hide the hurt. “You wanted to bring it up last night and then you just left.”
“You weren’t talking.” I hated how calm he was.
“Well.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m ready to now.”
His jaw clenched, and I could tell he was trying to hold back his own surge of emotions. But I wouldn’t let him shut me out this time. Not when there was so much at stake.
“Fine,” he said, tossing the documents onto his desk with a deliberate thud. “What do you want to say?”
