Dilynne #2
After Tori left on the day of the wedding, my heart broke for Elliot in a way that took even me by surprise.
This man that I’d spent hating and tolerating for years was suddenly on the brink of the worst heartbreak he’d ever experienced, and for some reason, I felt sorry for him, especially after going through that type of hurt myself.
When my relationship with Vinnie went south, it affected me more than when Henley and I went into foster care. It was worse than when Tori spread rumors about me being a lesbian in high school. And it stung more than when I learned exactly what Elliot Thorne thought of me before he graduated.
That’s another reason my desire to help him took me by such surprise, but in that moment, I felt for him as a human being—not as one of my brother’s best friends, not as this guy that made me question my identity, and not as the idiot who didn’t listen when I told him that Tori wasn’t a good person.
No. I just saw him as a man who put his trust in another person and got burned, much like I did with Vinnie.
So, I wanted to make sure he knew he wasn’t alone.
The last thing I imagined is that some sort of friendship would develop between us, but it did.
However, over the past few months, Elliot has started pushing me away again, so I’m not even sure that anything real has come from it.
All I know is that Laney was the only reason I survived the worst time in my life, and I’m glad I was able to be there for Elliot. Everyone deserves someone like that.
“I’m glad that you were there for him, Dilynne, but everyone else doesn’t know that, so they’re really going to have a hard time believing that this thing between you two is real.”
“Then we just tell them what was going on this whole time and use that to explain why our feelings shifted,” I say, tying an imaginary bow in the air in front of me. “Voila!”
Laney’s hesitation shows in the pinch of her brow. “I don’t know…”
“Look, you don’t have to agree with this, but I just need you to support me.”
She reaches across the couch for my hand, stroking my skin with her thumb. “You know I support you, no matter what. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I am Dilynne Marie Clark. Even if I don’t know, I can fake it. It’s one of my strengths. And if Elliot and I can help each other create a buffer from our exes, then it’s a win-win.”
Then why are you still thinking about what it’s going to be like to kiss him, Dilynne? Because it should be the last thing on your mind.
***
“I’m sorry, you want me to write what on this cheesecake?” Carolina has the frosting bag poised over her signature cheesecake, but I’ve clearly caught her off guard with my request.
“You’re in all of my inappropriate thoughts,” I repeat, actually tickled with the way she’s staring at me like I just sprouted a third boob right in front of her.
“And this is for Elliot?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “It is.”
She shakes her head and then begins writing on the cheesecake. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
“Yes. Elliot and I are engaged.”
Carolina drops the frosting bag right on the top of the cheesecake, effectively ruining everything she just did. Choking back her shock, she says, “I’m sorry. You two are what now?”
I spend the next few minutes bringing Carolina up to speed on our ruse, and by the end of my story, she has the same worried face that Laney did when I told her last night.
“Look, I know you have your reservations about this, but I have it under control.”
Carolina finishes the words on the new cheesecake and sets the bag of frosting down on the table before turning to me and planting a hand on her hip. “If there’s anyone I think can pull off a fake relationship, it’s you.”
“Aw, that’s one of the nicest compliments anyone has ever given me.”
She sticks her tongue out at me. “What I mean is, you’re good at separating your feelings from logic. But what about Elliot?”
My brows draw together. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, is he going to be okay pretending that he’s in love with you?” she asks as she pulls a cardboard box from under the stainless-steel table and begins folding it together.
“Trust me, I think it’s going to be a lot harder to pretend he likes me than he realizes, but…”
Carolina raises her eyebrows. “I’m not so sure it’s going to be that difficult for him.”
“What do you mean?”
She flicks her eyes over to me for a brief second and then goes back to what she was doing. “I don’t know, but part of me always wondered if the boy had a thing for you.”
I nearly fall over laughing. “Oh, that’s hilarious. You should consider being a comedian if the bakery ever goes under.” Her eyes meet mine, but she’s not laughing. My smile instantly falls. “You can’t be serious…”
“I know what I’ve seen. Perhaps you should get your eyes checked since you’re obviously oblivious to it.” She shrugs and then closes the cardboard box and slides the cheesecake across the table to me. I stop it with my hand. “Hope he likes the cheesecake.”
Now that my mind has been completely fucked with, I walk out of the bakery and head across the street to Elliot’s office, wondering why the hell Carolina thinks that.
Elliot actually liking me? That idea is more far-fetched than the notion that we’re engaged to each other after he was left by his ex-fiancée.
Or wait. Is it?
I don’t have time to dwell on it too much, though, because the second I walk through the front doors to Thorne Family Law Group, I’m met with Tori’s ugly face, serving as a reminder of why I’m going through with this.
The truth is, Tori Michaels is anything but ugly, on the outside, at least. She’s tall, blonde, and has a body most men gravitate toward.
But I know who she is on the inside—insecure, petty, and untrustworthy—and that’s exactly why I can’t let her invade Elliot’s life again, or anyone else in our friend group for that matter.
When she walked out on Elliot, she walked out on us all. We took her in—albeit unwillingly—but we did it for Elliot because we thought she made him happy.
Turns out the only thing she was capable of was making our friend question his worth, and after going through that myself, I’m not sure there’s anything worse a person can do to another.
Tori plasters on a fake smile as I stride toward the front receptionist counter. “Welcome to Thorne Family Law Group. Do you have an appointment?”
“Wow. Good thing you have so much experience with being fake because that actually sounded professional.”
She tilts her head, her lips in a flat smile. “If you don’t have an appointment, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
I hold up the bag from Bites & Bliss Bakery. “I have a delivery for Elliot.”
“Oh. Well, I can give it to him.” She reaches out for the bag, but I pull it away from her.
“No thank you. I’d actually prefer to deliver this one myself.”
Her smile falls as her eyes narrow. “Elliot is busy. He doesn’t have time for you to waste.”
The corner of my mouth lifts while I watch a vein in her neck pop as she attempts to restrain herself.
And that’s when I decide this is the perfect moment to start planting seeds.
Leaning forward over the desk, towering over her since she’s seated in a chair, I lick my lips and say, “Trust me. My fiancé is going to want to see me.”
Tori’s mouth falls open, but I don’t stay in front of her long enough to let her speak. I twist on my feet and saunter down the hallway past offices until I get to Elliot’s, shutting the door behind me.
Elliot is on the phone, scribbling something on a yellow legal pad in front of him.
“Yes, I agree. We need that evidence, though. Without it, our case doesn’t have anything to stand on.
” He continues writing as I assess the way he holds his pen, the way his brows are drawn together, and his eyes move across the paper—so intense, so concentrated, so commanding.
It’s kind of hot.
Jesus Christ. Where the hell did that thought come from, Dilynne?
“Great. Talk to you then.” Elliot hangs up the phone and makes eye contact with me. “What are you doing here, Dilynne?”
“Nice to see you too, honey,” I say, moving closer to his desk and depositing the cheesecake on top.
One of his brows rises. “Honey?”
I lean forward and lower my voice. “Is that pet name not satisfactory for you?”
He moves closer to me, his voice also low. “Why do we need pet names at all?”
I throw my hands in the air. “I don’t know, but I just told Tori that I was here to see my fiancé, so the cat’s out of the bag. Better put your game face on, Thorne.”
His eyes bug out as he launches from his seat. “You said what?”
“She was getting all pissy and wouldn’t let me back here to see you without an appointment, so I put her in her place.” I rub my hands together. “Let the games begin, bitch.”
Elliot pinches the bridge of his nose. “This is not what we discussed, Dilynne.”
I tap my chin in thought. “Well, if memory serves me correctly, we didn’t discuss our coming out at all since you walked off all pissed last night, so…” I shrug. “No time like the present, right?”
“I haven’t even told the guys yet.”
“Tell them tonight at blackjack.”
He stares at me, confused. “How do you know about blackjack?”
“Have you forgotten that Laney is married to Fletcher, and Henley is my brother so I’m aware of your bromance dates, or does your stupidity only get worse as you age?”
“Insulting your fiancé? Not a promising indicator of our future marriage.” A knock on the door interrupts us. Elliot rolls his eyes before asking, “Who is it?”
“Tori,” the voice on the other side of the door says, making our eyes snap to each other.
“Um, give me a second,” Elliot calls out before lowering his voice to a whisper. “What do we do?”
My eyes move over his body. “Here.” I rush toward him, ruffle his hair, unbutton the top of his shirt, and untuck one side of it.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he whispers.
Meanwhile, I turn my head toward the door and project my voice when I say, “Where’s my bra, honey?”