22. Elliot
ELLIOT
S he was confused by my attitude, that much I knew.
She didn’t mention it, though. Since I had picked her up that morning, she’d kept her mouth shut.
She never questioned how rude I was being.
She just took whatever I gave her. I wasn’t sure how to turn things around.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to turn things around.
Deep down, I wanted to be warm and soft with her, but there was this knot in my chest that was always there, and it kept my plan at the forefront of my mind.
Being unable to move past it only made me angrier.
There were two sides of me, and I never knew which side would win.
The asshole who only wanted to use her, hurt her, or the guy she knew growing up, who was soft and loving.
When I went into the master suite, I tossed my bag onto the bed and sat beside it.
I doubled over, holding my head in my hands.
She was finally learning to trust me. She was finally listening to my every demand, and I was about to fuck it up if I wasn’t careful.
I didn’t know what to do. I had veered so sharply off my original course that I had no idea where the fuck I was or where we were heading.
I was torn between breaking her as I had planned and giving her everything I had, because so much had changed.
She got under my skin in a way I never expected.
My phone chimed from inside my pocket, and I pulled it out.
MELISSA: Did you make it?
ELLIOT: Just got to the hotel.
MELISSA: Perfect. Are you ready to go to this dinner?
I sighed and shook my head at myself.
ELLIOT: Give me twenty to get changed.
MELISSA: And you’re sure your friend is OK?
Somewhere in the back of my head, there was a voice screaming at me not to go through with it, but I’d gone all that way. I had to.
ELLIOT: She’ll do whatever I tell her to. See you soon.
I tossed the phone onto the bed beside me and flopped back, staring up at the ceiling as I mentally cursed myself for the decision I had made.
Twenty minutes or so later, someone was knocking on the door of my hotel room.
I had already finished getting dressed, so I exited my room and made my way to the door.
I pulled it open and found my friend Melissa and her daughter Steph on the other side.
When Mel saw me, she smiled widely and moved in for a long hug.
“I’m so glad you made it,” she said, squeezing me.
“Thanks for the invite,” I told her as I hugged her back.
She didn’t know the mess I’d gotten myself into.
All she knew was that I was there because she needed me.
She had no idea the game I was playing with Eve.
When I pulled back, I knelt in front of Steph, her six-year-old daughter.
“Look at how big you’ve gotten. You must have grown at least a foot since the last time I saw you. ”
The girl giggled and leaped into my arms, giving me a big hug.
I guess Eve heard the commotion, so she exited her room and stepped into the main area of our suite.
“Ah, Evelyn, just in time,” I said, putting Steph on her feet and standing up. “This is a good friend of mine, Melissa, and her daughter Steph.”
Eve had a confused expression on her face, but she smiled and walked closer, holding out her hand to shake. “It’s nice to meet both of you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Melissa told her. “I really can’t thank you enough for this. I don’t know if Elliot has told you, but you’re really helping me by watching Steph for me this weekend.”
Evelyn’s brows lifted in surprise, and she looked over at me. “I’m sorry.”
“Forgive me for not filling you in on the details,” I started.
“But this wedding is for one of Melissa’s friends.
She was worried that she’d have to miss it because she didn’t have anyone to keep Steph, so I volunteered to fly in for the ceremony and be her date.
I brought you along so you could watch Steph.
” I looked down at Steph and smiled, making her grin.
“So,” I looked back at Evelyn, hating myself for the hurt I’d put on her face, but I knew it needed to be done.
“Tonight, we have the rehearsal dinner, and tomorrow evening is the actual wedding. So, you two can go down to the beach and hang out for a little while. When you get back, feel free to order dinner for both of you and just charge it to the room. We should be back around ten or so tonight?” I looked over at Melissa, and she nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, I don’t think it will run too late,” she said, agreeing with me.
“Alright, I left Melissa’s number on the table by the phone in case you need to contact her, and of course, you already have my number. So just give us a call if you have any problems, alright?”
Evelyn pressed her lips together and nodded her head once. She clearly wasn’t happy about the turn of events, but she wasn’t arguing with them either.
Melissa hugged her daughter, and then the two of us stepped out into the hallway, ready to get our night started.
Mel was beyond happy that I made the trip to town.
Not only did I bail her out by playing the role of her date in front of the ex she wanted to make jealous, but it also helped her out with a babysitter for her daughter.
She didn’t know how much she was helping me out.
I knew that Evelyn would get jealous by seeing me go out with another woman, especially a woman who looked like Mel did.
She was tall and thin with long blonde hair and big blue eyes.
She had high cheekbones, plump lips, fake tits, and a tiny waist. She looked like a fucking Victoria’s Secret model.
She made every woman jealous. What Evelyn didn’t know was that Mel and I had already tried our hand at a relationship, and we agreed long ago that we were better friends.
Sometimes friends with benefits, but friends nonetheless.
“I can’t tell you thank you enough,” she said once we stepped into the elevator.
“It’s no problem,” I assured her, adjusting my tie. “So, Will is going to be here?”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s what I’m told. I don’t know why he’s bothering to come. He couldn’t stand Jake and Lacy when we were together. I guess he wants to rub it in that he’s dating Elizabeth now.” She scoffed. “She’s such a slut. I don’t know why he can’t see that.”
I shrugged. “Maybe he knows she’s a slut and that’s what he likes. Quick, fast, and easy, you know?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, probably. But fuck him. Let’s just go to the rehearsal dinner and have fun. We never get to see one another anymore.”
“That’s what happens when you pack up and move halfway across the country.”
She laughed and jabbed me in the side with her elbow. “For what they’re paying, you would’ve moved too.”
The elevator doors opened, and I held out my arm for her to take.
I guided her out of the elevator and toward the exit, where we stopped to get the valet to bring around the car.
As we waited outside by the entrance, it felt like we were being watched.
I glanced around us, but couldn’t find anyone staring.
Deep down, I knew it was only my conscience, but I told myself that Evelyn was up in the room, watching every move I made from the balcony.
What was the point in making her jealous of Mellisa?
I wanted to give her a shot of her own medicine.
I wanted her to know how it felt to be together one moment and then, in the next, be with someone else.
I had grown tired of seeing her with Chase, and I wanted to teach her a lesson once and for all.
Not only that, but I hoped that by making her jealous and pissing her off, it would make her pull away from me.
If she did, I wouldn’t have had the chance to go through with my plan, and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to make the decision myself.
It was an impossible decision anyway, one I’d gone back and forth on since the beginning.
The valet pulled the car around, and I opened the passenger door for her.
She slipped into the seat, and I closed it before walking around the car and taking my place behind the wheel.
From inside the car, I glanced at the building in front of me, looking at all the balconies that I could scan quickly.
I wasn’t exactly sure which one was ours, but many of them had people on them, so I couldn’t be sure if she was watching or not.
I shifted into drive and stepped on the gas, driving toward the hotel where the wedding was being held.
On the drive, Mellisa went on and on about how her life was going in New York City since her move six months prior.
I didn’t really listen to a word of what she had to say, because I was too lost in my thoughts.
I wondered what I’d be walking in on later.
If Evelyn were pissed at me for bringing her to paradise just to make her babysit the kid of the woman I was going out with.
I wondered if she’d try getting even. Would she find some loser on the beach to make me jealous?
It wasn’t hard to make me jealous, especially when she was involved.
Somewhere on the drive, I realized that it would probably be better just to call the whole fucking thing off, but how the fuck could I do that?
Things were already set up, and I couldn’t back out on Mellisa.
I had to let the weekend play out, whether I liked it or not.
When we arrived at the hotel, we were shown to the beach where the wedding was to take place.
Mellisa left me with the other guests while she went to talk with the bride about her role in the wedding.
I sat back and watched them practice the wedding, where they walk out, where they stand, what they do and say.
When they were finally done, we all moved into the restaurant where the dinner was set up, buffet style.
The bride and groom moved around the room, chatting with their guests while everyone helped themselves to food and drinks.
Since seating wasn’t assigned, most people split off into friend groups, leaving me to sit with Melissa and some of the people we had gone to college with.
I was prepared to see her ex, but I wasn’t ready to see mine.
Anna walked into the room with a man at her side, and it felt like the entire planet stopped spinning.
“Oh shit,” Mellisa said, stealing my attention. “I had no idea she would be here, Elliot. I swear.”
I waved my hand through the air, dismissing her worries. It had been years since I had last seen the woman who had broken my heart. “Don’t worry about it. I’m going to get a drink,” I told her, getting up and walking further away from Anna.
Part of me hoped to get through the weekend undetected, but at the same time, I didn’t want to be the one hiding. I wasn’t the one who delivered us to our end. She was. She should’ve been the one hiding, scared of facing me. Not the other way around.
At the bar, I ordered a shot of whiskey. When it was delivered, I threw it back and ordered another. I was waiting for the second glass when every hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
“Well, well, well… If it isn’t the one who got away,” Anna said, coming to a stop beside me.
I glanced over at her, offering a tight smile and a nod. “How are you, Anna?”
She smiled. “Good. And yourself?”
“Great. I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” I said as the bartender put my glass in front of me.
She shrugged. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here either. I mean, the last I knew, you didn’t keep up with anyone we went to college with.” She glanced around. “Who are you here with, anyway?”
“I came with Mellisa,” I told her, nodding in her direction.
Her brows lifted. “Mellisa? Are you two…?”
“We’re just friends,” I said before she could finish.
She nodded. “I see.”
“I saw you walk in with Travis. Are you two…?”
“Just friends,” she blurted out.
“What happened to Gabe?” I asked softly. “Didn’t work out?”
“There you are,” Travis said, coming to a stop beside Anna, effectively ending the conversation.
He looked over at me and smiled. “Elliot, how have you been, man?” He held out his hand to shake, and when I gave him mine, he pulled me in for a hug.
“I’m good? It’s good seeing you both, but I should get back,” I said, quickly walking away before they could stop me.
I took my seat at the table again, and Melissa leaned in. “How’d that go?”
“Let’s just hope running into your ex goes better.”
As the night wore on, things started to feel easier.
I wasn’t so tense, but that was probably due to the whiskey I’d consumed.
I’m sure skipping dinner didn’t help either.
We’d bumped into Melissa’s ex, and I made sure to lay it on nice and thick.
When I abruptly ended the conversation, it was clear that he was jealous.
He continued to watch us with every chance he got, but he wasn’t the only one.
Anna was also watching. The night was a success.
We hoped to make one ex jealous, but we ended up pissing off two.
“Did you see their faces?” Mellisa asked, laughing as we rode the elevator back up to my suite.
I laughed. “Mission complete,” I chuckled.
“Thank you for this. You didn’t have to do this, but you swooped in and saved me like you always have.” I saw something change in her eyes. “Have you ever considered that maybe we gave up on one another too soon?”
“Mel… I?—”
She placed her index finger over my lips, silencing me.
“Just… let me see something,” she whispered before leaning in.
She pulled her finger away from my lips and replaced it with hers.
She kissed me, soft and slow. We had hooked up many times over the years, and it had always been great.
We had chemistry—that’s why we got together in the first place, but suddenly, it felt like the chemistry was gone.
At least, it had drastically diminished over the years, and it felt like nothing compared to how I felt when it was Evelyn who was against me.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” I told her, breaking our kiss and shaking my head.
“Can’t or won’t?” She asked softly, pulling away from me.
“Bit of both,” I admitted.
She gave me a sad smile. “Is it the girl you brought with you?”
I sighed. “I don’t fucking know anymore.”
“Oh, Elliot. You always struggled with emotions. Anna really messed you up.”
I said nothing as I stared straight ahead.
“You’re missing out having all that hatred in your heart,” she said gently. “Let go. Do what makes you happy.”
“And if I don’t know what that is anymore?”
“Then find it,” she finished.
Find it.
Fuck, maybe I already had.