“All right, Everleigh. That’s enough,” David says with a sigh.
She turns toward David, the wrath burning hotly in her eyes. “You also don’t get to speak. You know what’s been going on, but you had to call him to come help you with something you didn’t need help with, didn’t you?”
I squeeze her hands and finally put a stop to this madness. “Evie, that’s enough. It doesn’t matter anymore. They’re all together now, and that’s all any of them have cared about. They’re no longer worth my time or the breath I’d waste on them.”
Alek’s eyes flash at the vacancy in my voice and the way I refuse to acknowledge him. Why should I? I gave him that acknowledgement for three years, only for it to be thrown in my face when he chose her over me.
Before anyone can react, Charlie, Keaton, Amelia, and her boyfriend arrive. They stop by me and Everleigh, surveying the others.
“My manager told me I should get down here. What the hell are you doing, Alek?” Charlie asks.
“Wait, why are you getting on to him? We were just enjoying our food when they stopped over,” Jerica says.
“Jerica, I have no issue with you. I never have, but never jump into a conversation I’m having with my best friend,” Charlie replies.
“Hey, Char,” I say quietly. “It’s okay. We’re going to go grab something to eat. We won’t cause any more problems. I’m sorry you got called down here. Do you want us to leave?”
She snorts. “Fuck that.” She reaches out and grabs Everleigh’s hand. “Come on. You all are coming to eat with us. Leave these three to their little romance.”
Calling me shocked doesn’t even scratch the surface. Charlie turning her back on her best friend? I never saw that coming. I don’t want to drag them into my mess. Alek and Jerica are mine to deal with.
“We love you. That means when you’re hurting, so are we. Alek is my best friend and I love him to pieces, but he’s a blind fucking idiot, and he’s being a damn fool. He was always there to help me find my footing with Keaton. This is my way of helping him find his,” Charlie answers the statement I didn’t realize I said out loud.
I’m overwhelmed with the support I have. Support that I never would have requested or expected to have. Charlie doesn’t know anything more than what I’ve told her when I moved out, unless Alek filled her in on other stuff. If he did, then whatever he said to her, she didn’t approve of because their friendship wouldn't have tension over something so inconsequential.
The whole meal, Alek’s stare crackles against my skin, tiny jolts of longing I can’t ignore. His eyes beg for my attention, making every bite taste like cardboard. Not that I’m hungry, anyway.
Charlie, Amelia, and Everleigh do their best to keep the conversation away from the people behind us, and I appreciate it.
The longer I sit here, the more my polite smile slips away, lost in the crowd and the noise. I tune out the chatter and watch Charlie and Keaton instead. They’re a marvel. Survivors of something that would have shattered most people beyond repair. Somehow, they’ve beaten the odds. Watching Keaton dote on her, you’d never guess he once betrayed her so deeply.
Charlie must be made of steel, because I can’t imagine surviving what she did. I’m barely holding it together, just knowing Alek chose Jerica over me. If he’d actually slept with her…
I cut the thought off, not even wanting to go there because it isn’t conducive to my healing process or trying to move on from him.
Whether they finally slept together or are going to sleep together is no longer any of my business.
My meal curdles in my stomach as the weight of everything crashes down. I shove my plate aside, queasy with all the feelings I can’t swallow.
“Guys, thanks for showing your support, but I need to get out of here,” I tell them quietly, sliding from the booth and grabbing the bill from the table before anyone protests.
Charlie could have eaten for free, but she informed us it’s not something she ever does. She said even if it’s her own money she’s funneling back into the business, it means her employees get paid.
Paying for dinner is my silent thank you, a way to show my gratitude without having to say a thing.
A commotion from where I came from drags my attention from the cashier. Amelia and David are in a heated discussion, and when she points to Alek and Jerica, it’s easy to understand what it’s about. He motions toward her boyfriend, who’s watching them with narrowed eyes. Amelia’s lip curls back fromher teeth as her face flushes. She says something that leaves David pale, then smiles viciously and turns away from him.
“Here’s your change, ma’am. Have a great night,” the young girl says, passing me the money.
I cram the bills into the tip jar, wish her a good night, and wait for Everleigh. But Alek is coming too, his determined look making it clear he won’t be ignored.
My feet itch to bolt, desperate to escape. I last as long as I can, but the idea of facing him again is too much. I break for the door.
“Hayvin,” he calls. “Wait.”
I shake my head and hurry toward Everleigh’s car, but he’s quicker than I am. As I’m opening the door, he grabs hold of the top of it to keep me from closing it.
“Please,” I whisper.
