Page 22 of Runaway Girl
Chapter 14
ETHAN
Could I be considered a stalker? Probably.
Would she have a solid case for a restraining order? Definitely. But that’s only if I get caught.
Look, it wasn’t my proudest moment to follow Alicia to her “business meeting”. But I had to make sure she was safe.
There was an innate pressure building inside me, telling me to take note and heed the warnings.
Something sinister was approaching, and I wanted to be prepared to ensure nothing ever touched Alicia again—even if that included me.
When am I going to stop fucking it up with her?
We had always been sexually compatible, and I thought I would use that to my advantage. However, she didn’t react the way I expected. She never did these days.
My dad’s words relayed back to me.
“Tell the truth. Be vulnerable. If Alicia’s everything you say she is, fight for her, Ethan.”
And that’s what I did. I told her the truth and was the most vulnerable I had ever been in my life. Those statements weren’t just meaningless whispers; they were groundbreaking and fucking hard to admit.
“I can’t live without you.”
I meant them. I had never said those words to anyone nor pledged myself so blatantly. But we were obviously speaking separate languages that the other couldn’t understand.
Alicia said I wasn’tlisteningwhen that’s all I wanted to do.
Tell me what you want, baby, and I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you the world.
The waiter ushered me forward, inconspicuously leading me to the vacant table beside Alicia and Jake, a thick partition obscuring them from knowing of my presence.
I slipped the waiter a thick wad of cash for the assist, and he gave a subtle nod and left.
The restaurant was high-end and built for confidentiality. Wide booths with secluding decorative panels created the perfect atmosphere for private business.
Unfortunately for them, I was a frequent attendant due to my own business meetings with Alicia in the past, so I knew which compartments didn’t hold sound as well.
Hence Jake’s nauseating voice that carried over. “Do you want a glass of champagne, darling?”
“What do I look like to you?” Alicia snapped.
“Well, I’m glad you—”
“It was a rhetorical question, fool. If your answer is anything other than yourfinancial advisor, the answer is wrong.”
Strained silence followed, and I fought with my gut to keep down the chuckle bubbling beneath.
Jake didn’t seem to have the same sentiment. “But. You checked on me straight after Ethan attacked me. I thought—I thought you cared.”
“Yeah, about that. Why did you get into an altercation in the first place? I don’t think you understand you’re a commodity now, Jake. Your face is well-built and pretty enough to get endorsements. Idocare. I was worried…”
Hmm.I didn’t like the sound of that.
“…because you have a photoshoot in two days. I wanted to make sure you didn’t fuck up your face and lose your first major deal because you’re an idiot.”
Oh my god.I was fighting with myself not to break out in full-bellied laughter.
