Page 25 of Faking it With the Player Next Door

Sniffling the last of my tears away, I continued scrolling through his profile and saw many more pictures of him with the woman. In one of the pictures, I saw her name. I clicked on her name, and it took me to her profile.

As I scoured herAbout Mesection, I snorted.

“Of course, she’s a swimsuit model,” I rolled my eyes. “How am I supposed to compete with that?”

Glancing at my current outfit, and seeing what this Ellie Parsons was wearing, the only word that came to my mind was frumpy. Whereas she wore a bikini that left little to the imagination, I wore a pair of cotton shorts and a white tank top with more stains than I recall.

Ellie’s hair was styled with perfect curls hanging down over her shoulders, and resting on the top of her bosom. My hand went absent-mindedly to my head, and the messy bun probably had seen better days.

Frowning, I couldn’t remember the last time I washed my hair, let alone struggled to get a brush through it. But this Ellie woman, more than likely, had an entire team of hairstylists and makeup artists who pampered her daily. On the other hand, I had to rely only on myself, and it’s obvious I didn’t care.

After doom scrolling through Ellie’s profile for another hour, I was mentally exhausted and decided to shower and wash away my sadness, tears, and pain. My eyes were swollen from crying, so I hoped a warm shower would help ease the puffiness.

Maybe after a nice long shower, I’d have a better outlook on life, but I doubted it.

***

I’d just dried my hair and brushed it out when the front doorbell rang. I knew it wasn’t Hunter, as he’d just walk in probably, so I knew it had to be Van.

Turning off the blow dryer, I set it on the bathroom counter and strolled down the stairs. Through the little window, I could see the top of Van’s head, and my heart skipped a beat. Even though I was upset with him, I couldn’t control my emotions and heart when it came to him.

Inhaling, I whipped open the door and tried not to smile. I was happy to see Van, but I needed to ensure he knew how upset I was with him.

“Hey,” he murmured, slipping his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “I was wondering…” He paused. “Maybe later…” He stopped.

“Yes?” I leaned against the doorjamb, crossing my arms over my chest. “You were wondering what?”

I wasn’t going to make this easy for Van. I wanted him to cower and suffer a little.

“Yeah, well,” he glanced at me, and when our eyes connected, I felt a tingling in my chest, and as much as I wanted to look away, I couldn’t. His dark brown eyes mesmerized me, but I had to fight the battle.

“And?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Can we go out to dinner tonight and talk?” He whispered.

“About what?”Yes, I wanted to make him drag this out. I needed him to know how much he had hurt me.

“Hunter came by earlier,” he began. “He told me you saw Ellie, and I need to explain…”

“You don’t owe me anything, Van,” I hissed. “No explanation. Nothing.”

“I want to explain,” he replied.

“I will not let you tell me what you want to make you feel better, or less guilty,” I challenged.

“That’s not what I want.”

“What do you want?” I raised an eyebrow, trying to keep my voice even.

“Dinner with you,” he whispered, his eyes searching mine. “Time alone, and a chance to explain.”

I took a deep breath, folding my arms across my chest. “Donovan Willis, I won’t tolerate any more lies. Not one.”

He nodded, his gaze steady. “No lies. Just the truth. I’ll come get you in two hours.”

I paused, softening my tone. “I appreciate you wanting to talk. But I think dinner isn’t the best idea right now.”

His face fell just a little, but he quickly masked it. “I see.”

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