Page 114 of The King Contract
“Fuckme.” I snap my gaze back to Ellis who’s watching me fall apart, her arms crossed. “Is she at home? I need to speak to her.”
“I vouched for you.” Ellis shakes her head, disappointed. “I told her to talk to you. That you seemed to make her happy. That your fake-dating schtick was more than that. I told her to take a risk and give you a shot and enjoy herself. But you had to go andfuckit all up!”
I’m not surprised Ellis knows about the contract. I swipe for Millie’s number and call, listening with despair as the phone rings out until it reaches Millie’s chirpy voicemail message. I call again, and again, but she doesn’t answer, and I bark out a howl of frustration, dropping my phone onto the bench. Running my hands across my face, I realise my palms are clammy and my heart is beating out of my chest. It’s taking everything I’ve learned about controlling my temper not to lash out and destroy everything in my reach.
“These photos are not what they look like,” I say quietly, meeting Ellis’ gaze. “The photos of me and Millie a few months ago looked legit when we were arguing on the beach. This is the same thing.”
“Hey, boy genius,” she snaps. “I’m not the one you need to convince. You missed Millie’s eventyouencouraged her to do, andsworeyou’d be at, and ended up kissing your ex-girlfriend. Whateverreallyhappened, it doesn’t change the fact you have shit the bed with this one.” She huffs in annoyance, blowing a lock of her blonde fringe out of her face.
I deserve this tongue-lashing from the person who knows Millie best, and I sigh as the shame washes over me. I’ve messed up again, in every way. Mixing up the times, letting my phone die, and ruining my reputation again doesn’t matter. I betrayed Millie by not showing up. I let her down. She’s hurt because of my actions and that’s the worst part.
“I care about her, Ellis,” I croak. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
“Yet here we are,” she replies, leaning back against the counter. Ellis’ grey eyes are lit with an intense, protective fury. “I don’t know you, but I do know Millie, and she’s been throughhellthe past few years. Unless you’re going to put in the effort and make it worth her while, leave her the hell alone.”
“She’s the best thing to ever happen to me,” I say firmly, honestly.
“But are you the best thing to happen to her?” Ellis counters. She crosses her arms, quirking an eyebrow.
“Icanbe.” I straighten to face Ellis. “You said it yourself; she’s happy. She’s come out of her shell. She’s taking risks and being bold and I helped her do that. She always had it in her, she just needed a push in the right direction. Look at what she did tonight. I might’ve given her the nudge, butshedid all of this.
“She’s shown me what it means to step out of your comfort zone. We make each other laugh, we encourage each other to pursue our dreams and that wasreal,not because of some stupid fucking contract. I was going to ask her to come withme on the tour tonight. So, yeah, I can be the best thing that happens to her if I don’t lose her.”
As I stop talking, I’m almost out of breath, my chest heaving. I rip my phone out of the charger, noticing Ellis’ gaze has softened with surprise.
“I can’t lose her.” I jog towards the door, not looking back at Ellis, as anxiety settles into my limbs. “I can’t lose her.”
BREAKING NEWS
@hushnews: #BREAKINGNEWS Hush has got their mitts on exclusive images of Noah King and ex-girlfriend Sofia Carlson making out at an exclusive party on the Gold Coast, Australia. Link in the comments.
@lydiasurf:Noooooo Noah. How could you do that to Millie?
@rosiethompson:I knew they’d get back together.
@lozzapalooza:What a dog.
@finnkennedy:Making out? Could be a peck between friends. I call bullshit.
48
NOAH
Did you kiss her?
“Millie! Please open the door!”
I sprinted to Millie’s house. I have no concept of how long it took me, but I’m soaked to the bone when I arrive and it’s a miracle I didn’t get struck by lightning on the way. Now, huddling under the somewhat sheltered porch of Millie and Ellis’ house, the storm rages violently. I’d be surprised if she could hear me.
Keep telling yourself that’s why she’s not answering the door.
I thank my lucky stars Winston can though, and after him barking for what feels like an eternity, her front door swings open.
My heart squeezes at the sight of her. Freshly washed, still-wet hair frames her face. Her eyes are puffy, and her silk pyjamas and fluffy slippers add to the fragility of her stance.
I expect her to slam the door in my face, but she opens it wider and silently motions for me to come inside. Winston greets me briefly, but almost as if he’s pissed at me too, he returns to his bean bag in the living room.
When the door closes behind me and the loudness of the storm has dimmed, I’m suddenly at a loss for words. I have so much bursting out of me, but the sight of her red eyes and tear-streaked face guts me. She cuddles her stomach, shrinking into herself.
