Chapter 6
1076 Words
Elena's POV
"That woman who came over do you know her?" Lily broke the silence between Brad and me with a question that pulled me from my train of thought.
"Vivian Carter." I said flatly, waiting for the valet to pull over with the car. I needed to get out of here. With Adrian inside, I swear to all the forces I might unleash years of anger on him. And he even brought her here?
Flaunting his 'close friend' to my face.
I scoffed at the arrogance of that man. To think I was in love with him for three years. I hoped he could father my child and build a life with me. I was delusional. But not anymore.
"You know her?" Lily asked. I nodded.
"You would both know her too if you weren't so behind on everything." Brad shrugged.
"You were just like us before you moved to the city, Elena. Don't act so different just because you got a couple of years of city life." His words stung slightly, but he softened them immediately, brushing my shoulder and holding my gaze.
"We're both happy to have you back. The city doesn't deserve you." His eyes were gentle in a way that made my chest ache the kind of warmth that doesn't demand anything back. And while I grieved the jealousy burning quietly inside me, I let myself settle into the calm of his presence.
I might have cried enough for a week.
The car pulled over, and Lily popped into the passenger seat, leaving Brad and me in the back. He opened the door, gestured for me to get in, then rounded the car and slid in beside me.
"So Elena, where are we headed? Seeing as your ex has contaminated your bar, I suggest we visit the one at the top of the hill. I hear there are good evening activities." Lily's voice blurred somewhere in the middle of her suggestion, but I couldn't stop thinking about Adrian inside, with Vivian, laughing with his colleagues.
How could he have been so heartless? He had no trouble bringing her around his colleagues, yet most of them didn't even know I existed. As if that wasn't bad enough.
"And if you're lucky, you might even get laid, isn't that right?" Lily's voice reached me again, but my mouth had gone sour with stupid thoughts. I wanted to go home. To sleep. My mind was foggy, and I needed to push this gut-wrenching feeling somewhere deep down where it couldn't reach me.
He doesn't deserve me.
He never did. I just felt so stupid. Everything I held onto with Adrian was just my ego trying to prove a point that I could be loved, that I was worth staying for. It was fine to finally know that chapter had closed.
"I want to go home. We can continue tomorrow it's not like I'm leaving anytime soon."
"What?"
"It's not a bad idea, actually," Brad said, his voice easy and certain. "The male strippers and liquor were a good start, Lily. Let's pick this up tomorrow. Some patients would prefer their dentist wasn't fixing their teeth on a hangover."
The car filled with Lily's dramatic groan.
Brad, ever gentle and observant, lifted my hands from where they were clenched against my thighs and pressed a quiet kiss to my knuckles. My heart stuttered. The tight coil in my chest loosened just slightly. I didn't look at him I already knew he was looking at me.
This was what made home special. Both of them.
"Sure. And Elena?" Lily turned slightly. "I'm coming over tomorrow, so make sure you have food."
"Sure."
A few minutes later, Lily was dropped at her doorstep. Then it was just Brad and me, the car quieter now, his hand still not letting go of mine. The silence felt too warm for my liking.
Not in a bad way. In a way I was far too familiar with the kind that makes you want more than just a hand. Part of me lied and said it was only because I wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed by someone new after three years.
To feel something close to what Adrian must have felt in another woman's arms.
Because I had never thought of being with anyone else. I had loved him for as long as I could remember.
But another part of me the quieter, more honest part knew that Brad had always been this close. Since kindergarten, he had always been exactly this: gentle, steady, protective. And he didn't deserve to be a rebound for a broken heart.
"We're here, love." His voice was low and the lump in my throat grew. I suddenly wanted to stay in the car a little longer not trapped with my thoughts, just... here. But Brad was already moving. He stepped out, opened my door, and held my hand carefully as I stepped down, his eyes holding mine in the dark.
"I'll call you tomorrow to check on you. Take care of yourself." He released my hand slowly, then held my face in both of his and pressed his lips softly to my forehead.
A small sound escaped me before I could stop it.
His lips lingered. Then he pulled back. Our eyes met in the space between us, and the tension was impossible to ignore. I could see it in the way his gaze dropped to my mouth and came back up, slowly, like he was asking a question he hadn't decided to ask yet.
So I took the leap. I leaned in.
He pulled back. Just slightly. A soft hiss escaped him.
Disappointment swallowed me whole.
"You just got divorced. You have so much going on right now I don't want to add to it, Elena." He drew my head forward and kissed my forehead again, slower this time.
"I care about you. You know that, right?"
I knew. That was exactly what made this moment worse. Because for once, I wanted to know what it felt like to be touched by someone who actually meant it.
"I'll call you tomorrow." He repeated it like a promise, then walked to his car without looking back.
The moment he drove off, it felt like the universe had snapped its fingers at me.
Oh s**t.
I pulled out my phone and texted Lily.
'I am going insane. I almost kissed Brad.'
- Writer
