Chapter 23 Eva #3
The knock on the door comes as no surprise not long after that. Maddy quickly enters my apartment and plonks herself on the sofa between us. It almost feels like a parent chaperoning two teenagers. I laugh inside my head but make sure not to show my feelings in front of her.
We chat mainly about the wedding, but Maddy admits she’s done talking about it and needs to unwind. Her mood has been off since she walked in, but sometimes it’s better to let her cool down than give her a platform to air her grievances and make them ten times worse.
Hogging the remote, she switches to a movie, which is apparently some thriller. It doesn’t help that she talks through most of the movie, annoying both Aston and me.
“You know where this is going to go, right?” Maddy questions as I start to become uncomfortable when the man presses the female lead up against the wall and pulls down her panties. “Yep, he’s going to go in bareback. If a guy goes in bareback, it means he’s in love with the woman.”
I choke on my own saliva.
Maddy and Aston wait for me to pull myself back together, but I dare not look at Aston.
Maddy pats my back. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry.”
She then turns to face Aston. “You’re a guy. What do you think?”
“I think, as your brother, you asking me this question is disturbing.”
“I’ve never done it, to be honest,” Maddy admits, ignoring her brother. “Always used protection. Those high school sex-ed classes are really ingrained into me.”
“Did you need to share that?” Aston complains, raising his voice. “In my eyes, you’re still a virgin.”
I burst out laughing. “That boat has long sailed. It sailed in senior year, and since then, a lot of sailors have ridden the ship.”
“You make me sound loose. I’ve slept with six guys in total, including Myles,” Maddy informs us both.
“Madelina,” Aston groans, rubbing his face with his hands. “Shut the fuck up. You’re getting on my nerves.”
“This is girl talk, and if you want to hang out with us, then you need to partake. Now, Eva, on the other hand, is picky as fuck. Her count is small because she red-flags everyone.”
“Okay, listen,” I begin defensively. “When did I become this red-flagging person? Earlier, Elliot was saying the same thing and—”
I cut myself off as the both of them stare at me. I’ve revealed too much, so I close my mouth and beg myself to stop talking.
“Since you red-flag every guy!” Maddy raises her voice. “If we dissect your red flags, you’re possibly afraid of commitment or picky as hell. The doctor is the only one you haven’t red-flagged.”
Maddy watches me with curiosity. I keep quiet, unsure of what to say.
“Oh, you’ve red-flagged him! Eva, what now? Is it his penis? Too small?”
My head shakes before I say, “God, no.”
“Too much foreskin?”
With a frown, I quickly tell her, “I agree with Aston. This is disturbing. I haven’t red-flagged the doctor, okay?”
“So, you’re still dating him?” Maddy pushes, refusing to drop the subject. “Is he your plus-one for the wedding? You never told me. We can squeeze him in, but you’re really leaving it last-minute, and I’ll be honest, Eva, I’m not coping well with last-minute changes.”
“I, uh… not sure.”
“We need to give numbers to the caterer next week,” she reminds me with a raised voice.
“Stop spiraling! This is all under control. How about we go back to watching the movie?”
For the rest of the movie, both Aston and I remain quiet and allow Maddy to ramble on. I barely listen, my mind exploding with so many questions.
There’s another knock on the door, and I gladly jump off the sofa to answer it.
As I open the door, Myles is standing in the foyer.
“Hey, Eva, is Maddy here?”
“Yes…” I answer slowly, wondering how he knew I lived here. “Come in.”
“I’d rather talk to her in private.”
I’m thrown off by his rigid tone as Maddy appears beside me, gently placing her hand on my arm. “It’s okay, I’ll be back in a moment.”
Closing the door behind them, I head back into the living room.
“Do you know what that’s about?” I ask, only for Aston to purse his lips, keeping quiet. “What’s going on, Aston?”
“It’s just family stuff. Best you don’t get involved.”
His words hurt slightly, not because I want gossip or anything of the sort, but because I am genuinely worried about Maddy. Myles’s tone was off, which is probably why this is bothering me so much.
When Maddy returns, her usually jovial face appears tired and worn down.
“Is everything okay?” I question, worried.
“We’ll talk tomorrow. I just want to go home.”
Aston grabs his keys without arguing, then glances at me one more time. His eyes bore into me, and all the flags waving at me to be careful with my heart, slowly come down.
I hate that even after last night, I want him.
And that whole bareback conversation began to eat away at me. Aston Beaumont is not in love with me, far from it. Just because he had a moment of weakness, it doesn’t mean anything. The guy isn’t capable of love, and to be honest, maybe I’m not either.
Yet my heart is anything but in agreement.
The weight inside my chest reminds me of what is missing in my life.
Who is missing from my life.
No matter how hard I try to fall asleep, all I hear is his voice, see his face, and feel his touch all over my body.
It’s too late…
I have fallen for the one man I promised myself I would never fall for again.