Chapter 29
Holy shit. I was in a shit ton of trouble. At first, and after seeing Victoria, that had been the true source of my panic. But leaning against the door and hearing what he had said to her, how he had cared enough to protect me even though he was clearly pissed at me, my legs were currently weak. I was a mixture of anxiety and arousal, and I didn”t know what to deal with myself. This was why this massage had been needed to calm me down, but now it seemed as though I was more riled up than ever.
I liked him. I liked him a lot. There was no looking away from that any longer, and so I had to figure this out. I couldn’t be careless and dismissive simply because it was easier than actually trying to work around something, even if it was my obligation to Aurora.
However, I didn’t know how to fathom anything concrete with him. In a way, he almost seemed larger than life, and thus I didn”t know how to imagine myself with him. Not that he had been propositioning that, but with the way I was reacting to him, I didn”t just want to cut off all possibilities to it. Sure, I was still unhappy about the fact that Aurora couldn’t have the exact wedding she wanted because of his interference, but their contention in this matter shouldn’t have to affect me. Or should it? It annoyed me for sure, but … but was it enough of a reason for me to stay away from him? I mean, Aurora didn”t hate her brother. From what I had seen so far, and despite this, they were still quite cordial with each other or even friendly.
So, rather than assume and deprive myself, perhaps it would be better for me to actually discuss this with him and possibly even Aurora. However, I was nervous, but I was glad that I was considering it because I was at least open to more options. I looked around the massage room and couldn’t help but shake my head. What a prime location it had been for a lot of great things to happen. Yet I had ended up alone in it, staring at the wall, and so unsatisfied I wanted to scream.
I couldn’t possibly relax now, not after Victoria had seen as well. Sure, Drake had warned her not to be a tattle tale, but I didn”t see how she was going to be able to keep this newly found info to herself. She was probably going to use it to find every which way possible to frustrate, mock, or even blackmail me, and ultimately, she might even tell Aurora.
There truly was absolutely no fucking way I could relax now, so I put my clothes on and headed out. After these spa sessions was lunch at a nearby restaurant; however, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to wait till then. There would be too many eyes, so of course, it would be nearly impossible to reach him. Unless I reached out to ask for his audience?
I stopped at my locker as this idea came to mind and pulled out my phone. I wanted to call him, but I wasn”t sure that I was able to sound coherent yet, so I texted him instead.
“Where are you, please?” I asked. I truly didn”t want to sound so polite, but currently, I understood that there were a lot of eggshells between us, and I had to tread lightly. So, I sighed and added another line.
”I really hope we can talk. Please let me know.”
I sent it off, gathered my things, and exited the spa. However, twenty minutes later, there was no response whatsoever. I had expected it would be somewhat difficult to reach him, but the reality of it was much more disheartening than I knew how to accept.
The verdict had been given. My choices now were to either accept this and move on with my life like he so obviously had, or I could instead put down my pride for a little bit and reach out this time around? So far, he had been the one to do so; perhaps it was my turn?
Sighing, I pulled out my phone once again and thought of calling Anna, but there was nothing she could say that could help me make this decision. It had to come from me completely, and so, after giving things a few more minutes of thought, I contacted him. This time around, however, I didn”t text him because perhaps that was easy to ignore, but a phone call for sure would be much harder.
My heart leapt into my throat in the next moment as I placed it, and the phone started ringing. I immediately rose to my feet and found that my legs were weak. In the bid to hide my anxiety from any onlookers, including myself, I found the nearest wall and leaned against it.
It kept ringing, and I prayed he would pick up. I was never quite timid when I was with him, but the thought of this right now had completely turned me into a weakling. It was humbling and embarrassing all at once, but what could I do?
The call rang to disconnection, and this was incredibly hurtful. I told myself, though, that he was busy, and that all I needed to do was to simply try again. However, I didn’t think I could.
I began to consider then that perhaps this was for the best. Perhaps by pushing him away the way I had, I had finally gotten what I wanted. But was it the right thing? After all, if he had no interest whatsoever in me and clearly exhibited this, then I would for sure not hold on to him for any reason.
Nodding, I agreed with this and put my phone away. There was no need for me to participate happily in whatever else was coming, so, as I should be, I started to head back to the spa where Aurora was busy as well with her mother. Just as I arrived, however, and before I could ask for directions to where she was, my phone began to ring. At first, I ignored it, just for a couple of seconds, but just before it disconnected, I jumped and dug into my purse to retrieve my phone.
“Hello?” I answered and couldn’t believe just how eager and nervous and stunned I sounded. Fuck, I wanted him, and it frustrated me at just how much I was overthinking this. I mean, why couldn”t I just give in and allow this man to do what the fuck he wanted to me? When else was I ever going to come across someone of his caliber?
“Evelyn,” he called, his voice raw and raspy. He sounded somewhat cold and perhaps even annoyed. But I didn”t care. I was no longer going to live in my head, at least for the duration of this phone call.
“I sent you a message,” I told him once again, so nervous my words were nearly breathless.
“I’m in the spa,” he said. “I haven”t checked.”
“Oh,” I replied, hope flickering in my chest.
“Um… “
“What did you say?” he asked.
“What?” I replied. I heard him clearly, but I needed more time to get my head screwed back on. I truly couldn”t process any coherent thought because in the moment, it felt like the only words available to me were whatever I had thought of prior to this phone call.
“What did you say?” he asked, and I was forced then to think.
“Um.. I wanted to see you?” I asked. “I was wondering if you were still here or if you had left? I mean, it”s just... a brief talk. I didn”t know things might get even heavier, so we might not find another chance?”
He went quiet, and I did as well, my eyes tightening shut because I was now very clearly rambling and out of my mind.
“Come to the male spa,” he told me. “Room 18.”
“Oh,” I replied. However, before I could say another word, the call disconnected. I remained in place, however, as I processed all he had just said, and then I put the phone away.