Page 49 of Accidentally Yours
Paige was still using the dating app.
She was still swiping and searching.
While he’d been falling for her, she’d been looking for someone else.
The realization was a sucker punch to the gut. He stared at the phone, heart thudding against his ribs. Everything between them—every laugh, kiss, touch—had felt real. But now? It felt tainted. Was this still pretend for Paige?
Ethan forced himself to look away, his stomach twisting into a knot he wasn’t sure he could unravel. Picking up his book again, he stared at the pages but didn’t truly see them.
The earlier glow. Her praise, the banter, that kiss on the escalator. It all felt like a memory from another lifetime. Something he’d dreamed up and written in a story.
He was still in that daze when Paige returned, sliding back into the seat across from him.
“Did you miss me?” she asked, her voice light and teasing as she set two coffees on the table.
Ethan lifted his head, managing a tight smile. “Of course.” But the warmth he’d been enjoying was gone. Because now, doubt weighed heavily on his shoulders.
Paige didn’t seem to notice. She flipped open her laptop, humming under her breath, sipping her coffee as if nothing had changed.
Ethan stared down at his cup, grabbing hold and letting the heat seep into his palm, trying to quiet the questions zipping through his head. Was he just a stepping stone on the way to her next book? To someone else? Someone better?
The pain was too familiar. It whispered of Tatiana. That same blindside, that same sinking sensation, like he’d opened his heart only to realize the other person hadn’t wanted it at all. He sat frozen, not able to shake the sharp sound of that notification. Couldn’t stop seeing the message that had brought him back to reality.
Because his heart was flashing a completely different message. He didn’t just want Paige to love his writing. He wanted her to love him.
Chapter Sixteen
“Youtwoarekillingit! Slay, sister! Slay!” Kaylor’s voice burst through the phone with the kind of high-octane energy that made Paige wince. She pulled the device away from her ear and turned down the volume. “Honestly, I’m wondering if you’re actually dating. That video of you and Ethan locking lips on the escalator? Sick.”
“Sick?” Paige crossed the busy street, shuffling along with a group of pedestrians through the crosswalk. “Like . . . disgusting?”
“No! Sick, as inamazing.” Kaylor gave a theatrical sigh. “You two looked like you were about to sneak off for a tryst in the archives.”
“Well, we didn’t,” Paige said flatly.Though I wouldn’t have minded.But Ethan had gone quiet later that day—he was more reserved, like he’d retreated into himself. After she came back with coffee, he hadn’t flirted, hadn’t lingered close as he usually did. Instead, he’d buried himself in books while she wrote. And he hadn’t texted her later in the evening either, like they had been.
“Well, could’ve fooled me.” Kaylor’s voice snapped her back. “Whatever you’re doing,keep it up. Pre-orders are exploding! This book might actually hit the New York Times list. It’s all anyone at the office is talking about. This is bound to get me a promotion.”
The news of the pre-orders should’ve sent Paige dancing down the sidewalk. She was excited about the growing buzz of their book. No doubt about that. But Ethan’s quiet distance was weighing on her. “That’s great,” she said, though her tone didn’t match the words.
Kaylor didn’t notice. “Now everyone’s obsessed with the clue hunt. It’s viral. People think they can crack it themselves. Even Ethan’s ex commented on one post—OMG, it’s a dream!”
Paige’s stomach clenched. She’d seen it too.
Tatiana had replied to the escalator kiss video with,Didn’t take you long to move on,and tagged Ethan. Her comment shot to the top, pulling in likes and side-eye emojis. Paige had scrolled through the replies, torturing herself with the crazy commentary from internet trolls. She also glanced through, looking for a response from Ethan, even though she didn’t want to find one.
He hadn’t replied. Yet.
The attention had helped the book, sure. But it had also carved doubt into her brain. Was Ethan truly over Tatiana? If she reached out, would he reply? Go back to her? After all, they’d seemed crazy about each other onSurvivor. At least, until the end. And Tatiana was Hollywood beautiful. Her wheat-blonde hair and perfect curves were the exact opposite of Paige.
“Kaylor,” Paige started, wanting to shift the subject to her own books, a topic that would take her mind off Ethan and her doubts. “I have something I want to run by you aboutLove, Lies & Alibis. I’m working on a bonus chapter for the last book, explaining why I killed Hans. I think we should do a re-release with the bonus chapter included.”
“Really? Hmm. Send it my way.” Kaylor sounded interested. “I’ll take a look. That might be possible with all the attention you’re getting right now. Maybe even do a special edition.”
Paige smiled, finally feeling some relief. “I’ll email it to you by the end of the weekend.”
“Perfect. Now go kiss your fake boyfriend a few more times at the library. Preferably in front of a camera.” Kaylor laughed. “We want a museum kiss next! In front of the exhibit!”
Paige rolled her eyes, ending the call just as she reached the bagel shop down the block from the library. There, like he had the last few mornings, Ethan waited with a to-go bag in hand.
