“What?” My eyes narrowed.
He slowly ran his thumb along his bottom lip. “Kate left quite a mess when I dropped her off before coming here. Actually, she started at the estate. Are my lips a little red?”
I knew exactly what he was trying to do by asking me that and I didn’t care.
“Nope,” I said.
“That’s strange.” He pulled his thumb away. “I wiped it all off but can still taste the flavor of her lipstick.”
“She was actually there, too?” I asked.
“Yup.” He raised the corner of his mouth. “I didn’t expect you to be jealous.”
“I’m not.”
He raised an eyebrow like he didn’t believe me, but I meant it. I wasn’t jealous at all. I knew who he was and expected nothing less.
What I didn’t expect was the silence that came afterwards. He just looked at me and not in that usual way of wanting to get in my pants. His expression was unreadable.
I couldn’t take it anymore, so I leaned forward and said, “What?”
“It’s nothing.” His voice was low as he looked away.
Then, he snapped out of it like a switch had flipped and casually said, “I’m leaving town immediately after my birthday.”
“I heard.”
“I know. Now that I think about it…” He trailed off, heading back inside. I didn’t know what he was up to, but I followed behind him.
As soon as he opened the door, his voice was smooth.
“Ladies,” he paused, giving them a nod. “Come to my birthday party on March 10th.”
Their faces lit up.
“Wait, seriously?” Zoey’s eyes grew wide.
He smirked. “I don’t joke about parties. Just by looking at you two, I expect some killer dresses.”
They nodded eagerly while smiling at him.
…
Glancing at me before heading back towards his car, he flatly said, “Later.”
After that, he was out the door and shut it before I could follow. Something had changed about him, or maybe I had made myself believe he seemed more open, but not anymore.
The moment the engine faded down the street, Zoey and Ella squealed behind me.
“Did Maddox Aldridge just invite us to his birthday party?” Zoey placed her hands on the sides of her head.
“In the flesh?” Ella added. “Harper, seriously, why aren’t you dating him again? He definitely has a thing for you.”
“No, he doesn’t.” I said, taking a seat on the couch. “Not even in my next life would I think of dating him.”
“Why not?” they asked in unison.
I sighed. “He’s nothing but a playboy.”
“In that case,” Ella paused to hold my hand, “you better get those fucking benefits, literally.”
I rolled my eyes. “I need another cup of tea.”
Deep down, that stare of his was still on my mind. What could he possibly have been thinking about while looking at me like that after I’d pointed out the difference when he spoke to his father and uncle?
It took a week to finally feel like my usual self again and I was back to my regular morning routine, a water bottle in my hand as I jogged down the street.
Maddox was still an ass in more ways than one, but I still appreciated his efforts to get me everything that was in that bag. When he left that evening, I sent him a text to thank him again and all I got was a short reply with one word.
“Welcome.”
I had gotten so used to texting back and forth with him that when he no longer gave me that same energy and took hours to reply, it actually felt weird.
It was one week before his birthday party and Ella and Zoey were so excited that the three of us went shopping. They talked about it all the time and I wondered how I’d make it through the week with their excitement only building up.
As for me, I didn’t really feel like going anymore, not after how he had distanced himself from me. I hadn’t even told my friends yet. I knew what they were going to say.
Picking up the pace as beads of sweat ran down the sides of my face, I told myself my time with Maddox in ways that no one else could touch me were fun while they lasted, but it was time to move on.
When I turned at the corner and into the next street, I sensed another presence beside me, so I looked over and slowed down a little. It was Dean, smiling brightly at me.
“It’s been a while.” His breath was a little heavy. “I haven’t seen you all week.”
“I wasn’t feeling too well.”
“That explains why I couldn’t see you in the streets of this neighborhood every morning. And I would have known you weren’t feeling too well if I had your number.”
I stopped in my tracks, my breath heavy. “Is that your way of asking for my
“No, this is…can I have your number?”
It was so amusing that I chuckled. number?”
The two of us spent the next thirty minutes talking while jogging at our own pace.
I made it back home afterwards and stepped into the shower.
Right when I finished dressing up, my phone screen lit up with an incoming call. My heart instantly skipped a beat at the caller ID. It was Grayson.
He had been calling me everyday just to check up on me. I was glad I never saw him in the flesh the whole week. Talking to him on the phone for hours already wasn’t good for me as I had gotten used to it and it made me feel special in a way that wasn’t even there.
“Hey,” I said as soon as I picked up, trying not to smile.
“What do you mean ‘cool‘?”
Breaking the hug, he held my hand, leading me to the couch. He was the first to take his seat and pulled me down towards him so I could sit real close. It all made me feel like one of those moments where a guy wants his girl close because he missed her.
Facing the floor, I said, “Since you haven’t told her, does this qualify as sneaking?”
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