Chapter 014: Too Soon?
1157 Words
~SAFFRON~
The applause comes and swells around us—polite cheers, clinking glasses, the usual gala noise—but it does nothing to touch the ice radiating from the Millers’ table. Elixir’s glare could melt steel. His sister rubs his shoulder, trying to calm him, but her eyes stay soft on Jason. Mr. Miller lifts his glass like nothing happened. Mrs. Miller and Mom trade uneasy glances.
Jason strides back to our table, and I catch the flicker of satisfaction in his eyes when he drops into his seat. Fred’s smile is strained, his attention already back on the emcee.
My phone vibrates hard in my purse. It’s an unknown number. At first, I think about ignoring it, but then Kate’s messages flash on my screen ‘My sister just got into an accident.’ Another text follows ‘It’s nothing serious, she’s fine. How’s the gala going by the way??’
What if she’s the one calling and it is actually serious? I can’t rule out the possibility. The call ends abruptly, leaving me staring at the screen—then it rings again.
“What’s happening?” my mom asks.
I have to take this.” I hand her my purse and stand.
“Um. Okay,” she says.
The moment I look at Jason, he’s looking away toward the podium. I slip out of the ballroom knowing two pairs of eyes—Elixir’s and his sister’s—follow me the whole way.
Outside, the night air is cooler, quieter. Golden lights glow along the grand entrance, but the steps and lawn are almost empty now—just a few people murmuring, valets waiting by the curb, and the low hum of luxury cars pulling away. String lights twinkle through the old oak trees, casting long shadows across the empty red carpet. The big banners flutter gently: Sterling Heights Athletics Fundraiser: Building Champions. It feels like stepping into a different world.
“Kate?” I answer the second the call connects.
Silence.
“Kate, is that you?”
“No, it’s Maxwell.”
Max? My heart drops. I blocked his line and also blocked him across all my social media. What could my ex possibly want from me after what he did? “What do you want?” I sputter, my grip tightening on the phone.
“Saff, come on.” I hear his stupid laugh. “It’s me, baby.”
Argh.
Just as I’m about to end the call, he says, “Wait, wait, wait. Please don’t hang up.” I inhale deeply, listening. “Listen, um… I saw you.” I squeeze my brows in confusion. “I mean I recently saw a video of you at Alex’s house party.”
They had me on camera in that lounge, and Maxwell of all people happened to see the video. Great. Just great. “So?” I ask, making sure I sound unbothered.
“Saff, I saw you with Elixir Miller…” There’s a long pause—He knows Elixir “…and the Winchester boy," he says it like a curse "the guy you kissed to spite me, who is now your new stepbrother. The f**k, Saffron.”
Christ, he knows it all. “Max—”
“I didn’t even get an invite, you know what I’m saying. And as if that’s not making me crazy, I’m seeing you in a video at a gala event for my school fundraising, looking so radiant and hot as hell… My head is about to explode.”
“Let it explode, Max,” I say wearily, tired of hearing him talk. “Anora can pick up the pieces.”
“What?” He sounds even more surprised by my response than the recent info he got about me. Wish I could see the dumb look on his face right now. “Saffron, listen—”
“No, you listen. Don’t ever f*****g call this line again. Not with this number, not with any number.”
“Wait, Saffron—”
I end the call and sigh. It’s a breath of fresh air, knowing that Maxwell knows I’m doing perfectly fine. He can wife Anora for all I care. He’s in my past now, and he stays there.
Now to call Kate—
“Is everything alright?”
A voice stops me—Elixir’s.
“Yea—” I turn and a low gasp escapes me. “Oh my God…” What the hell happened in there while I was gone? He has bruises all over his face—a trickle of blood on his lip, swelling under his eye. It hurts to see him looking this way. “Are you okay?” I rush to meet him. “What happened to you?”
He throws a quick shadow one-two in the air, wincing. “Jason and I had a bit of a scrap. Sorry you missed the show.”
“I don’t understand…”
“I gave a speech,” he says exhaustively. My mouth twists in disappointment. “Yeah, you missed that one too. Talked about sponsorship. And this is what I get for it,” he gestures at his face.
I almost laugh at what he wants me to believe—Jason hitting him because he talked about sponsorship. I know Jason can be difficult, but I feel he wouldn’t just hit Elixir over something like that. But then again, why would Elixir lie when he knows I could ask anyone who was present? Like my mom.
“You can ask him yourself,” Elixir says softly, eyes never leaving mine.
That’s the problem. He won’t tell me.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, my eyes tracing the blood drying on his lip. A guilty twist hits me—part of me already wondering if Jason’s face looks just as bad.
“It’s fine,” he says with a lopsided shrug that clearly hurts. He exhales, gaze drifting to the dark before snapping back to me. “So why’d you escape out here?”
“I needed to talk to a friend,” I say.
He steps closer and bends until we’re eye-level, that crooked grin fighting through the bruises. “Then talk to me.”
He’s ridiculous like this—adorable, even battered. A giggle slips out before I can catch it.
“What?” His brows lift in mock offense.
“Can’t be friends with a guy who looks like he lost a fight with a brick wall?” he teases, dimple flashing.
I laugh harder, the sound bubbling up unexpectedly.
“Or…” His voice softens, playfulness fading into something quieter, almost careful. “Is it too soon?”
The giggle dies in my throat.
Elixir is everything Jason isn’t—open, gentle, easy. But Jason’s voice crashes through my head: Don’t get involved with him.
Screw it.
No,” I say, holding his gaze. “It’s not too soon”
- Writer
