The last text came through one minute ago, and he’s typing again.
My Masked Valentine: Or should I tell him?
My fingers are typing faster than I can manage.
Don’t you fucking dare
Maybe it’s not clear to you yet, but there’s nothing between us anymore
My Masked Valentine: We’re not done, My Little Cupid. You can try to run, but I’ll catch you.
My Masked Valentine: We both know how much you’d enjoy that little chase
Leave me alone
My Masked Valentine: No
My Masked Valentine: Block me. Delete my number. I’ll find a way around it. Or maybe I’ll just walk over there and talk to you face-to-face. Is that what you want?
You’re manipulative
My Masked Valentine: Call it what you will. I will always find a way to you, my love, no matter how hard you try to run …
My Masked Valentine: I’ll catch you
You’re insane
My Masked Valentine: We already knew that
If you come over here, I’ll scream
My Masked Valentine: Promise?
Frustration gets the best of me, and I slap my phone on the table face down. Everyone whips their head my way, eyes a little wider than normal.
I nervously chuckle. “Sorry, it slipped.”
A beat of intense embarrassment later, everyone is back in their conversations, ignoring me and the secret battle I’m having with a man thirty feet from me. I’m afraid that he’s winning, but I don’t even know what winning is anymore.
I need a glass of wine. Freddie cuddles. Kerrigan vent sesh. And a good night of sleep. The last place I want to be right now ishere.
But I smile, nod, and laugh at the speakers’ punch lines as they work through the itinerary, through dinner,and while they present the items being offered for the charity gala.
I applaud as the prizes are won by various players, their family, or staff, ungodly amounts of money being thrown around like change. But at least it’s for a good cause.
With the way the stage is positioned, Bates is closer to it than me, giving me a straight view of him. Thankfully, there are still people and tables between us, but I can still see him through the gaps.
This time, it’s me who doesn’t get the satisfaction of eye contact, and I don’t know why, but it’s driving me mad. Like, how dare he not look at me now when he knows I’ll see? Why only do it when he thinks I’m not looking?
Again, infuriating.
The presenters bring the next item up, and I suck in a sharp gasp when I realize what it is. A gold bracelet with rubies set every centimeter, encircled with diamonds.
No way. That’d be incredible.
I can’t help but notice the similarities to a bracelet that I’ve seen in countless pictures of my mom. I think I got my affinity for gold and rubies from her. I’d at least like to believe that.
Bates’s paddle shoots into the air, and I hear his deep voice cut through the crowd, as if he were speaking right beside me. “Two hundred thousand.”
