Page 93 of Life of the Party

I felt my stomach sinking and turned towards the window before my tears gave me away. “He’s just busy. He can’t help it.” I insisted bravely.

Neither of us were convinced.

The limo slowed as we pulled up in front of The Windsor Hotel. A bellman opened the door for us, and I could see my parents waiting eagerly outside. Whitney and Marie went first with their escorts, then Jake got out and turned, pausing at the door, waiting for me. I sighed and took his hand, avoiding his gaze, looking out at the front of the hotel as he helped me down.

There was a red carpet leading up to the grand glass front entrance. Huge golden letters were perched atop the awning, spelling out The Windsor in gilded extravagance. The building was made of impressive beige stone and stretched imposingly up sixty floors or more. I took in the sight with awe, but then, as I looked, my eyes fell on something—or someone, rather—I hadn’t expected to see.

He was leaning against the granite wall off the side of the entrance, looking uncomfortable as he smoked a cigarette, his arms crossed against a crisp black suit and tie.

I honestly had no idea how to react to him. Grey turned his head towards us, and his perfect lips curved into my favourite smirk when he saw me there. I just stared at him, stunned. He looked at me for a moment, and then his expression changed, his eyes narrowing like he was angry.

I realized Jake was still holding my hand. Abruptly, I pulled away from his grasp, hugging my arms around myself, taking a deep breath in as I went to meet Grey.

I approached him cautiously, nervous. After all of the doubt and suspicion and uncertainty, I didn’t know what to do, how to feel. As I neared him, tears began to sting my eyes. God, I loved him. It’d been easier to ignore, easier to try and forget when he was far away and out of sight. But now he was standing before me, and the sheer force of the love I felt for that man was nearly overwhelming.

“Who was that?” Grey asked me when I was close enough, his voice accusing, his blue eyes suspicious. He looked past me back at Jake, who was standing by the limo, watching us.

“He’s no one.” I shrugged.

“He was holding your hand.”

“He was helping me out of the limo.” I corrected, icily. We stared at each other a moment. Grey looked so good in his suit. He was freshly shaved, his dark, messy hair carefully gelled, his blue eyes piercing as he looked me over. His familiar, sweet, masculine cologne wafted over me, and my knees threatened to buckle at the scent.

I shut my eyes and tried to stay strong.

“You don’t seem happy to see me.” Grey realized.

“I don’t know how to feel,” I admitted with a shake of my head. “Grey…what are you doing here?”

“What do you mean? I came here to surprise you.” His handsome face turned hard. “Why, did I crash your date or something?”

“No, of course not.” I bit my lip. It was all so confusing—his weeks of complete disregard, his sudden presence here. “You…you came here to surprise me? Why?”

“Why?” He looked taken aback by the question. “Because…because I…” He ran a hand through his hair, struggling for words. “Because I missed you.”

“You missed me?”

“Yeah, I missed you.”

I didn’t know what to say. I looked away from him, away from the startling blue of his eyes. My voice was thick with threatening tears.

“Well,” I scoffed, “you sure have some way of showing it.”

Grey just looked at me, confused, contemplative. “What did I do?”

I shook my head at him. Were guys really that dense? Could he really not know? I thought back over the weeks of torment and utter heartache I’d suffered at his total lack of concern. My chest burned with indignation.

“Grey, I haven’t heard from you in weeks.” I glared.

He shook his head. “I know…I’m sorry, we’ve just been…busy.”

“I know you’ve been busy.” I scoffed again, my voice low and angry. “I heard her voice on the phone.”

“What? Whose voice?” Grey’s face fell as he considered my words. “What are you talking about?”

“Her voice. The girl. I called you one night, you were at a club or something, and I heard her, Grey. I heard her flirting with you, asking you to dance.”

“That was you on the phone? Why didn’t you call me back?”

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