Page 57 of Elevating Eve

Now he realized how wise his father’s advice had been.

Placing his hand in Aiden’s, he let his friend pull him to his feet.

Jonathan sat on the wooden bench outside the Fairford Inn three days later. Showered, shaved, and dressed in his favorite suit, he fiddled with his hair, wanting it to be perfect. Everything needed to be perfect.

When at last he decided he couldn’t stall anymore, he dug his phone out of his pocket and pulled up his text thread with Eve. “Please say you didn’t block me,” he murmured as he typed out a whole paragraph of text and hit send, holding his breath until the tinyDeliveredappeared beneath his message.

Thank fuck. If she’d blocked him, he wasn’t sure what his nextmove would be. Send a letter to the hotel, maybe, and hope she received it.

Two full minutes passed beforeDeliveredchanged toRead 11:22AM. His heart pounded as the seconds ticked by, and he nearly shouted in excitement when three dots appeared, indicating that she was typing out a reply.

His elation didn’t last for long. The dots disappeared, reappeared ten seconds later, and then quickly disappeared again. They didn’t come back this time.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, he should’ve included more information. He should’ve explained everything in the first text. Of course that vague-ass message didn’t work.

Before his panic could spiral out of control, he forced himself to close his eyes and focus on his breathing. The message wasn’t a mistake, and he knew it.

Though it didn’t give the best odds for the result he wanted, it didgive Eve the ability to decide if she wanted to give him another chance without being guilted or manipulated into it. After talking it over with Aiden the last two days, he knew that was the most important thing of all. He owed her that.

Even if it broke his fucking heart.

His gaze stayed glued to the phone screen as time marched on relentlessly. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty.

He was preparing to stand when the clock switched over to 11:49. It was over. He’d done all he had any right to do.

That’s when the three dots reappeared.

Today 11:20 AM

I want to talk. But if you don’t feel the same way, I understand, and I’ll respect your decision. I’m sitting outside your hotel and will wait here for half an hour unless you ask me to leave. If you don’t come down, I promise I won’t pursue the conversation again. But I’ll always be ready to talk if you ever change your mind. No matter how long it takes

Read 11:22AM

I’ll be right down

For several seconds, he couldn’t breathe. It worked. It actually fucking worked.

He stood just as Eve stepped out onto the sidewalk. Eyes wary, she watched him as she slowly approached. “What do you want to talk about?” she asked.

“Will you walk down to the coffee shop with me?” he asked, trying to make it clear with his tone thatnowas a perfectly acceptable answer.

“I guess so,” she said with a little shrug, falling in beside him as he started down Main Street.

Jonathan longed to reach over and touch her. The urge burned through him like wildfire, setting his nerve endings aflame. To be so close and not feel her smooth skin against his...it was a whole new kind of torture.

He shoved his hands in his pockets.

Nothing could keep him from glancing over at her, though. She looked even paler than usual, and he fucking hated it. The vibrant red streaks in her hair had also started to wash out since last he saw her, the resulting color more of a dull orange. It didn’t match her spirit in the least. “How have you been?” he asked when she noticed him staring.

Giving him an incredulous look, she said, “Not super awesome. You?”

Yeah, that had been a dumbass question. “Same.”

They reached the coffee shop before either of them could think of anything more to say. The wordsBean There, Drank Thatwere emblazoned across the glass door in a blocky font. A little anthropomorphic coffee bean holding a steaming mug smiled at them from above the shop’s name.

Eve eyed the door with the hint of a smile as she pushed it open. “Isn’t a coffee bean drinking coffee cannibalism?”

He snorted before he could stop himself. “I would think so.” Following her inside, he said, “Why don’t you find us a table while I get the drinks.”

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