Page 22 of Dramatic AF
“I’m good.” Smiling, I turned the screen off, pocketed my phone, and joined him near the patio gate. “I was just reading what people are saying about the play.”
“They haven’t even seen it yet.”
“True, but anticipation is key. Gotta get butts in the seats. In fact…” I hooked my arm through his and pulled him to the edge of the sidewalk as I retrieved my phone again. “Smile.”
“What are you doing?”
“Building anticipation. Now smile. Pretend like you’re happy to be with me.”
I expected more pushback, but he just sighed, tilted his head toward mine, and aimed a devastating smile at the camera.
“Damn,” I breathed as I uploaded the picture and typed out a quick post. “If that doesn’t get people to the theater, I don’t know what will.”
“I think you might be a little biased.” His chuckle ruffled my hair as he bent to press a kiss to my temple. “Anywhere else you want to go?”
After a moment of consideration, I shook my head. “No. I just want to go home and chill for a couple of hours.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Linking our fingers together, he gave my hand a light tug and started walking. “You have time for a nap before we have to leave for the theater.”
I shook my head again. “I’m too wound up to sleep. We could watch a movie,” I offered instead. “Just nothing where I have to think.”
We debated which movie to watch all the way to the front of my apartment building. Well, I made suggestions and Trick critiqued those choices. When he eventually relented and let me have my way, I suspected he had been merely pretending to argue to distract me from my nerves.
“You have terrible taste in movies,” he teased, swaying to the side to bump our arms together.
“You’re one to talk. I can’t believe you like—”
“Jay!”
My laughter died, and the smile slid from my lips at the familiar voice.
“Jay, there you are.”
I froze, my spine rigid as Elijah Tally descended the stairs that led to the entrance of my building. “What are you doing here?”
His mop of brown curls bounced around his face as he jogged over to join us, but a low growl from Trick had him stumbling to a stop a respectful distance away. Eyes the color of a summer sky widened as his gaze traveled from my mate’s knees, over his broad chest, and finally landed on his face.
“I…uh…” He shook his head and blinked a few times before returning his focus to me. “Jay, I think I screwed up.”
“That’s an understatement,” I muttered under my breath.
“This is your ex?” Trick asked, his tone sharp and his expression brutal.
“This is Elijah,” I confirmed, my gut roiling with humiliation. “He was just leaving.”
“No,” Trick growled, taking a menacing step forward. “He was the one at your door last night.”
My eyes flared briefly before narrowing, a storm of conflicting emotions raging inside me. I hated that he had been at my apartment. I resented the panic he’d caused. At the same time, I couldn’t help but also feel relieved.
Elijah might be a lying, manipulative asswipe, but he wasn’t dangerous.
“Shit,” my ex breathed, hanging his head and rubbing the back of his neck.
“You tried to break into my apartment, and that’s all you have to say?”
He jerked his head up, his expression pinched. “I’m sorry, Jay. It’s not like that, though.” His chest expanded, his shouldersrising and falling with his next breath. “I went out with some guys from work last night, and I drank way too much.”
“So, you’re saying this was your version of drunk dialing me?”
