She took a step forward and extended her hand like she was about to touch me. My arm zapped from the anticipation of her fingertips on my skin…but the sensation never came. Instead, she just curled her fingers into her palm and dropped her hand.
“Are you excited?” She asked as she took a small step back.
Normally, I wouldn’t have noticed these small nuances to her actions, but my mind seemed laser-focused on interpreting everything she was doing. The small changes in her breathing. The darkening of her eyes. How she was positioning her body in relation to mine.
I was going to drive myself mad, and yet, I couldn’t stop myself. I needed to know that we were going to be okay. That I hadn’t messed everything up like I feared I had.
She was studying me with an expectant look. Realizing that she was waiting for me to respond, I shoved my hands into the front pocket of my jeans and nodded. “Yeah, I’m really excited.” I gave her a forced smile.
She glanced over to where Coralie and Shelby were sitting. “She seems nice.”
“She is nice.” Sure, Coralie wasn’t Ella, but she wasn’t bad. She was just from a different world than the one I was from. Right now, I liked that difference. It created a distraction that I was desperate for. “I’m excited for the two of you to get to know each other better.”
Ella glanced over at me and held my gaze for a moment.
“You know, since you’re my best friend. Kind of important that the two of you get along.”
I hated saying the wordbest friend,even though I knew we were never going to be anything more. But if being best friends with Ella was the only way to keep her in my life, then that was what I was going to do. Being friends was better than being nothing. I’d take the wins where I could get them.
“I’m excited to get to know her better as well.” She gave me a soft smile.
Seconds ticked by as we both stood there, staring at the other. The air between us felt tense, and I stupidly thought that if I didn’t speak, the air would magically shift from awkward to normal. I wanted that normal so bad. If I could go back in time and never say those stupid things, I’d sell my soul to make it happen. I’d stuff my feelings deep down inside of me and never let them come to the surface.
But I didn’t have a time machine, and no amount of wishing could make one appear. I was going to have to live with the consequences of my decisions and work hard to prove to Ella that we could go back to a sense of normalcy. Eventually.
“There you are.” A man’s deep voice had me pulling my gaze from Ella. I glanced over to see a guy approach her. “I thought you’d run out on me,” he said as he raised his arm and plopped it down on Ella’s shoulders.
Heat burned in my body as I stared at him. Who was this guy? Had I missed something?
The stranger suddenly seemed to realize that I was standing there. He brought his gaze up to meet mine before extending his hand. “Chad Perkins. And you are?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his fingers tighten on her shoulder as he tugged her closer to him.
I had half a mind to deck this guy, but I was also paying attention to Ella’s body language. She seemed startled, but not disgusted. Maybe she really did know this guy. After all, it had been a few weeks since I left. I was already on thin ice with Ella. Punching her new boyfriend wasn’t the way to get back in her good graces.
“Asher,” I said as I shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Asher.” His grip got tighter with each word. As if he were trying to tell me to back off.
He was kidding himself if he thought that was all it was going to take. He had no idea who he was dealing with. “How do you know Ella?” I loosened my hand and dropped his. I wasn’t going to be a part of his pissing contest.
“We met recently,” he said as he glanced over at her.
“Oh?”
Ella seemed to finally come around. She nodded. “Yes.”
“And how do you know Ella?” Chad held my gaze as he leaned in as if trying to threaten me.
This guy was a joke. “I’ve known Ella for years. I’m her best friend.” For the first time in weeks, I was grateful for that title. I hoped he’d feel the weight of what that meant. I wasn’t going to let her get jerked around by some loser.
“Wow.” He glanced from Ella over to me. “Well, nice to meet you, best friend.”
A hand slipped around my arm, and I turned to see that it was Coralie. She was staring up at me with her bottom lip jutted out. “I need a drink,” she said.
I didn’t want to stop talking to this Chad guy. I wanted to stand here and establish the fear in this man that if he hurt Ella, he would have to face me. But I didn’t know how to do thatandbe the fiancé I was supposed to be to Coralie.
“Well, it was nice meeting you, Asher. Looks like you’ve got things to do.” Chad nodded toward Coralie. “We’ll see you around.” He kept his arm on Ella’s shoulders and used it to turn her away from me.
