Page 94 of Eight Steps to Alpha

She shook her head, kicked closed the door with her foot, and plopped her shopping bags to the floor. “No, I got it.” She flicked off her shoes, then moved to the kitchen. “Elliot here?”

He shook his head. “Nah, I haven’t seen him all week.” He followed behind her. “Nor you, for that matter.”

Fe nodded, but proceeded to fill her glass with cold water before drinking it.

“Didn’t you miss me?” Colton asked, lifting his spoon to his mouth and taking another bite.

The corner of her mouth lifted as she shook her head. “Not really.” But the truth was, it was nice having him around in the middle of all of this. To have someone around who wasn’t complicated.

The door to the apartment opened then, and Elliot walked into the living room. His hair damp, his face red and sweaty. He glanced to the bags littering the entry way, then walked with his bike to the patio. “What’s this?”

Fe pushed her hair from her shoulders and set down her glass. “I went shopping.” She moved closer to the living room, not allowing herself to chicken out. “For the launch party,” she continued. “I thought that if we’re going to do this, I should look as presentable as possible.”

His eyebrow lifted, but he moved past her without so much as a nod.

“I thought we should leave by eight, take an Uber?”

“I’m not going.”

Her eyes followed after him, to the entryway of his room, and she shouted. “What?” She hadn’t meant to yell, but what the hell was he thinking? How could he even consider not going.

He turned around to face her, his jaw tight, but his face unreadable, the way it had been all week.

“This is it, Elliot. It’s what we’ve spent the last month of our lives working toward.”

His eyes locked on hers, his hands fisted at his side, and he swallowed. “Is it?”

She nodded, unsure why her stomach hurt so much. “Yes.”

He turned toward his bedroom and laughed. “Eight sounds fine.”

“Okay,” she said softly. Then she waited for him to walk into his room, close the door behind him, and she turned back to Colton.

He was still in the kitchen, his bowl of cereal only inches from his face. “What was that all about?”

She shook her head and walked into her bedroom. “I have no idea.”

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