Page 48 of When Forever Falls Apart

“Yes. If you must know, I left Paris for very similar reasons.”

“Do you regret it?”

Elliot parts his lips, staring at me with a firm gaze. “No.”

It was an answer I never knew I wanted to hear leave his lips. With this sudden wave of relief washing over me, I say, “Thank you, again. You know… for last night.”

He nods.

“For everything,” I add. “You keep… you keep saving me.”

Elliot exhales a gentle sigh, but his eyes twinkle with a hidden agenda. Every time I meet his gaze, the core of my stomach flips with nerves.

“You don’t need to thank me, Madelina. That’s what man friends are for.”

A light, unexpected laugh spills from my lips, breaking this moment, which got way too serious too quickly.

“Just don’t get so comfortable as my man friend,” I tell him enthusiastically. “Next week, you’re getting an upgrade. Are you ready for the challenge? I can be a high-maintenance fake girlfriend.”

He tilts his head, a playful sneer curling his lips. “Challenge accepted, Bugs.”

CHAPTER 14Madelina

“So then my aunt flashes his profile picture at me, and guess what his profession is?” Billie presses her lips in anticipation, eyes wide with her rhetorical question.

I steal a glance at Elliot, who’s standing behind the counter and leaning toward this woman who has clearly overstayed her welcome. She tosses her long ginger hair with an exaggerated flair, her laughter echoing a touch too loudly. It’s obvious she’s flattered by the attention from the young hot chef.

Elliot doesn’t seem fazed by the attention. If anything, he seems to welcome it like most men would. The flirtatious banter goes back and forth to the point where Ginger caresses his arm.

“Orthodontist!” Billie exclaims, her tone a mix of disbelief and amusement. “Is this so cliché or what?”

“Uh-huh,” I murmur, my thoughts spiraling into a whirlpool of confusion.Why on earth would Elliot entertain someone like her?His charming smile leaves little to the imagination. He’s looking to get laid, and Ginger over there is opening her legs with a welcome flag and a marching band.

“Um, hello, Earth to Mars,” Billie calls, snapping her fingers in front of my eyes, pulling me back to the present. “Are you even listening to me?”

I blink rapidly, shaking off the haze as I reluctantly shift my focus from Elliot to Billie. Only now, I notice she’s cut her hair again. Her copper curls sit just above her chest. I’ve always loved Billie’s hair, mainly because mine is boring and so blah. Occasionally I try something new but pretty much regret it every time. My hair has grown slightly, nearly to my shoulders, which is when I tend to get antsy.

“Yes, your Aunt Yvonne is getting scammed again,” I say, trying to inject an air of engagement into my tone. “And nice haircut, by the way.”

“Okay, what the hell is going on here? You seem awfully distracted,” she presses, arms crossed. “Plus, I cut my hair a week ago.”

I clutch the rag in my hand and resume wiping down the tables, pretending not to notice the way my pulse skips whenever Elliot’s near. Gathering the stack of used dishes, I head for the kitchen, only to glance back, unable to resist. For a fleeting moment, our eyes lock, stealing the air from my lungs. Inside the kitchen, I finally exhale, but in the mess of my chaotic thoughts, a mug slips from the pile, and Billie catches it just in time.

A relieved sigh escapes her lips as she sets it on the stainless-steel countertop, then fixes me with a look. “Start talking.”

“I saw Myles last night,” I finally admit, my voice barely breaking through the clunking as I rinse off the dirty dishes before placing them in the dishwasher. “So, yeah…”

“Wait, what?” Billie shakes her head in confusion. “I’ve been talking for a solid twenty minutes about these scammers, and you only drop this bomb now?”

I take a deep breath, then turn to face her. “Well, actually, I’ve been here for three hours.”

“Maddy!” Billie taps her foot impatiently. “This is huge. Tell me everything.”

Elliot enters the kitchen like a snake in the grass, quiet and without warning. The moment I see him, I lower my gaze and then mumble, “Uh, how about we talk about it later?”

“Did you know about this?” Billie asks Elliot, forcing me to snap my gaze back up. Since when do we discuss my life in a group forum? I shoot an annoyed stare at Billie, but she doesn’t seem to catch on.

Elliot cocks his head at Billie. “About what?”