Page 38 of Perfectly Wrong

Hand in hand with that guy, Elena quickly said goodbye to her team and walked towards the door, while I sat there at the piano, pleading for compassion. The last thing I saw was their exchanged glances before John wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they disappeared into the hallway, both smiling.

I sang the final song with great difficulty and rushed off the stage straight to the bathroom, where I vomited up my dinner and all the words I hadn’t been able to say to Elena.

Chapter ten

I had no idea where to look for Elena anymore. I’d been wandering around the hotel corridors for hours, pretending I was searching for my room even though I didn’t have one. But I knew she was there with that goddamn John, and I had to find her. This urgency was pounding in my chest, driving me to figure out what the hell had happened, and why she’d done this to me. To us.

Even though I couldn’t be sure she was still at the Four Seasons, I couldn’t let myself believe she’d gone home. If she had, it meant John was with her, and I couldn’t bear the thought of them lying in the bed where I’d loved Elena so many times. I’d have to burn the damn thing and buy a new one because I’d refuse to ever set foot on it again. I almost laughed at myself. She’d put on this whole show, letting that asshole have her all night, and here I was, still thinking about getting back in her bed. God, I needed help.

My feet were killing me, and I gave up. I slumped down at the end of a long corridor I’d paced back and forth a hundred times. I stared at the plastic cup in my hand, watching the ice melt into nothing. I groaned, frustrated. The alcohol was watered down now, and it wouldn’t do much. Not that I needed it—I was already pretty hammered. One of the perks of being legal? You could drink as much as you wanted. The downside? You could drink too much, just like I had, and then suffer for it the next day. But right now, at 2 a.m., I couldn’t care less. I needed something to get me through the night until I found her.

I pulled out my phone and tried calling her again, but it went straight to voicemail, just like the last sixteen times I’d tried. No, I wasn’t counting—my phone was. I frowned as my thoughts scrambled for a moment, and I had to remind myself why I was even there. Oh, right. Elena.

A door clicked open down the hallway, and I glanced up, searching for where the sound came from. And there she was. My girl, stepping out of one of the rooms in the middle of the fucking night. Her hair was down now, falling over her shoulders. Her lips, no longer painted that light colour, were back to their natural shade, the one that always made me want to kiss her the second I saw them.

She didn’t notice me, sitting there like a fool, humiliated, waiting for her to come out of his room and give me some kind of explanation. Elena walked to the elevator and pressed the button, turning her phone on as she waited. The soft ding echoed in the hallway, and she stepped inside, disappearing behind the closing doors, leaving me breathless and on the verge of tears, like the stupid kid I was.

John decided to stay with us for Christmas, and I was more than pleased about that, though a part of me felt empty. Sam wasn’t responding to my messages or answering my calls, and I knew I deserved it. I just wanted a chance to explain.

My parents were thrilled when we arrived at their house. We were greeted with hugs, kisses, and my mom’s M&M cookies fresh out of the oven. After everything that had happened and all the support John had given me, he’d become like the son they’d never had. They even set up a room for him at their place.

Going back to my parents’ home always brought comfort. As an only child, I’d been spoiled, but they’d always listened and supported me, even when I made mistakes. My mom noticed something was off when I checked my phone for the third time in less than ten minutes. She called me into her room, and we talked for hours. I told her everything—how I met Sam, what our relationship was like, and where things stood now. She was upset at first, angry at what I’d let happen, and for what had gone down at the party. I could understand that. Even though John was like a brother to me, Sam didn’t know that and must’ve been hurt.

“I never thought this would happen, Mom,” I said through tears. “But I really care about him. Despite everything, I love him. And it’s so hard to say that because I don’t know if I’ve shown it. If I did, he wouldn’t be so distant. I messed everything up!”

“Give the boy some time, Elena,” she advised. “From what you’ve said, Sam has a busy few weeks ahead. He needs space to cool off so you two can talk. And stop stressing about the age difference. Did you forget I’m eight years older than your dad? It never stopped us from building a life together and having an incredible daughter.”

I smiled softly and hugged her tight. I tried to give Sam space, but on Christmas evening, my hands betrayed me, and I ended up calling him.

“Elena,” he answered. My heart stopped.

“Hi, Sam.” My voice was shaky. “How are you?”

“Good.”

God, this was going to be harder than I thought. “I… Merry Christmas.” I sighed.

“Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too.”

“I’m at my parents’, and I don’t think I’ll be back before you leave for Jamaica again.”

“That’s okay, no worries.”

Silence. I could hear him breathing on the other end.

“I’m sorry,” I blurted out.

“Me too.”

“Goodbye.” And I hung up.

Tears streamed down my face as John walked into my room, freezing when he saw me crying. “What happened?” He rushed over and sat in front of me.

“He’s never going to talk to me again, John.” I sobbed like a child who’d just broken her favourite toy. “I’ve lost him forever.”

“Lena.” He sighed and pulled me into a bear hug. “It’ll be okay. For now, it’s best if you two stay apart. It was obvious at the party—he’s in love with you. I could feel it from across the room. I know it’s getting harder to hide, but you both need to wait for his tour to end. You’ll be on another project, he’ll have a different team, and no one will be able to say a thing.”

“Am I an idiot for falling for someone so much younger?”

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