Page 27 of From You to Me

He smiled—a real one, one that reached his eyes, one that he used to give me all the time. He swiped the pad of his thumb over my salty cheek. “This used to tug at my heartstrings once, but now I only want to see more of it.”

Every single word out of his mouth only dug the pain deeper into my heart. My vision started to blur as the tears began to flow like a river out of my eyes.

He closed his lips around his thumb, his tongue darting out to lick away the salty drop. “Yes, Evelyn. Cry for me, sweetheart.”

That only made me cry more. “Jay. Why are you doing this?” I hiccuped.

His nose met mine, and his hazy blues danced with mirth. “You very well know why, Evelyn. I would be a foolish man if I fell for those tears again. Know your place if you want to continue your job here. Now get out before I fire you.”

I didn’t even think as I scrambled up to my feet and rushed out of the apartment in a daze. I didn’t know what was happening. It confused me, hurt me, and angered me all at the same time. My heart felt heavy, my brain muddled with thoughts as I fought to breathe, exactly like yesterday.

Maybe I wasn’t cut out for all this.

Maybe I would always be a weak girl, forever under someone’s thumb living by the rules they laid.

Maybe I was always supposed to be alone.

“Smile a little,” Gabe yelled in my ears, his voice louder than the techno beat thudding through the speakers of the Box club.

“Ouch!” I cupped my ear, taking a step back. “Stop yelling! And I am smiling,” I bit back under my breath.

“Really? Because if that is your smile, you look like the hyena from Lion’s King.”

“What? It’s not that bad, is it?” I mumbled.

“It is. At least try. You don’t want to die alone like a spinster, now do you?”

“Ugh, fine,” I said, as I forced an actual smile to curve up my lips.

“Okay, he’s coming our way. Here, take this one for liquid courage.” He handed me a shot of tequila.

I nodded as I downed it, immediately feeling the burn and alcohol rush to my head as I leaned back against the bar.

“You don’t have to get her drunk to meet him.” Rory rolled his eyes.

“Trust me, our Evy needs to be very, very drunk. Especially when she meets Marcus.”

I sighed, my eyes focusing on the frame closing in on us.Okay, Evy, you can do this!

“Gabe, man!” Marcus grinned, giving Gabe and Rory a quick hug as they exchanged pleasantries. A moment passed before his eyes met mine, and he took me in from head to toe.

“Evy, you look gorgeous.” He beamed, gesturing to the very tight, very short black dress that I was wearing that pushed up my boobs like crazy, revealing the tops of the creamy skin. It definitely made me uncomfortable, but according to Gabe, it was the perfect fuck-me dress. And you apparently had to wear a fuck-me dress when going to clubs.

“Thanks. So do you,” My mouth automatically replied, and I flushed when I realized what I had just said. “I mean, you look good, too.” I gave him an awkward smile.

He took that as an invitation to slide in beside me. He nodded to the bartender, and magically, the same drinks we were having appeared before us.

“For you, my lady.” Marcus handed me a Long Island iced tea; my second one tonight. Coupled with the few tequila shots that Gabe made me down, I could already feel the buzz starting to make me lightheaded. The older I got, the harder it was to hold the alcohol.

I smiled shyly as my hand closed around the glass, taking a small sip.

Marcus was just as I imagined him to be—his well-kept blond hair was trimmed neatly on the sides and he wore a pressed white shirt and navy slacks. He looked like a well-mannered, decent guy standing just a few inches taller than me.

Not at all like the guy who used to tower over me, making me feel safe and comfortable. My mind always drifted to him. The hurt of his words from today still lingered, but I decided to forget about that tonight and have fun.

“Come on, let’s head to the private room. Perks of being a manager and all,” Marcus exclaimed, to which Gabe nodded a little too enthusiastically.

Marcus linked his fingers with mine before I could even say anything and dragged us toward the end of the floor.

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