Page 59 of Falling for You
“Ev, stop,” Mallory breathed. Stepping in front of her brother, she gave his chest a shove. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked, anger rising in her voice.
“I don’t know, and frankly I don’t care.” His tongue was like sandpaper in his mouth. He was shocked he could formulate words. How is it possible that five minutes ago he was having a wonderful evening with his girl and his friends? Now he felt hollow and alone—and immensely foolish.
“You need to go back and talk to CeCe,” Mallory ordered, pointing back the way they came. “You need to go—” but Mallory stopped talking when Evan’s eyes filled with tears.
“I need to be left alone, Mal. I need to think and have some space.” He looked at his sister and hoped she could feel his pain enough to back away. For once, to stop being the annoying big sister. “Please.” His voice cracked as a tear fell, dissecting his cheek. Angrily, he swiped it away.
“Oh, Ev,” Mallory said as she pulled him in for a hug. “It’s going to be fine, you’ll see.”
Evan wiped his face on his sleeve. Add crying in public to his list of things he never wanted to do. “Mal, I gotta go.” He spun on his heel and didn’t stop when she kept calling his name.
He wasn’t sure how he’d even gotten home, but Evan lay on his couch with his arm draped over his face. All his stuff was still in the hotel, but that was the least of his concerns right now. Thanking his not-so-lucky stars, he was glad he only had to drive an hour in his zombie-like state. It probably wasn’t safe to drive, but it wasn’t safe to sit around a strange town and piece together what had transpired at the fusion restaurant. All the way home, his cell rang so much, he’d turned it off. As soon as he entered his place, he buried the infernal device in a kitchen drawer before collapsing onto the couch. He wasn’t sure if it was CeCe, Max, or Mallory calling. Frankly, he didn’t care either way.
CeCe had kept a secret from him, an important secret from her past. What did this mean? They were supposed to be partners, equals. Partners don’t keep secrets like this from each other. Did she not trust him to handle the news? Evan bristled a little, seeing as how he’d turned tail and run all the way back home.
But there was something else Evan couldn’t get past—the fact that CeCe never ran after him. If the situation were reversed, he would have followed her anywhere. He would scream and cry and try to let her see his side. But CeCe had remained stoic, unmoving, and seemingly unfeeling toward his pain.
After another hour of wallowing in self-pity, he pulled himself up and went to the fridge for a beer. He hated the cliché of drowning his sorrows, but he didn’t see a way past his clogged emotions at the moment. Popping the top, he plodded back to his bedroom and flopped on the bed.
As he turned over, a puff of CeCe’s scent came from the pillow. She’d spent the night earlier in the week, and he could smell the cinnamon and vanilla that always clung to her skin. She didn’t need perfume, her baking had infused her with warm, welcoming aromas. Tears welled in his eyes as he slugged from his beer and tried to forget that the woman he loved had lied to him.
And boy did he love her. He’d swallowed the declaration a dozen times, but it was pointless to deny it now. Planning on tell her at the competition, he felt like a fool now. Lying in the dark, the beer blurring the corners of his vision, he was eternally grateful he’d chickened out on sharing how he felt. He couldn’t imagine how much worse it would be if he’d made his grand declaration. As it was, he was drowning over his feelings for CeCe. He was head over heels for this woman. If he were honest, he had been since the first day they met.
How different things seemed now, with over a year’s hindsight and the sting of betrayal. After a year of flitting from one dead-end job to the next, Evan finally found the diner and a sense of community. College provided the security and comradery he craved, but after leaving his father’s internship, he felt listless. Max, CeCe, and even Helen, had shown him what he was capable of without making him feel small. He couldn’t imagine not having them in his life, which made this new revelation sting even more.
Evan trusted easily, and his stomach churned knowing he’d been humiliated in front of his friends—in front of his girlfriend. The fact that CeCe was the reason for this gnawing sense of loneliness made his eyes burn and he couldn’t stand it. Things with CeCe had never felt this complicated. If he wanted to have a difficult relationship that made him feel small, Evan could call his father.
And that made Evan even angrier, his relationship with his father. If they were like other fathers and sons, he could call him now. He could drive to his childhood home and pour his heart out. He could ask for advice on how to fix this mess. But no, Evan knew that was impossible. Asking his father for love advice would be tantamount to suicide. Not only would he get an earful of judgment over his career path, he’d be ridiculed for not seeing this coming.
Evan finished his beer and realized it was dark outside. The day had certainly not ended the way he wanted it to. He’d planned to spend the night with CeCe. Tonight he wanted to tell her he loved her, that she was the woman for him. Age difference be damned, he knew what he wanted. He wanted CeCe.
The trouble was, he didn’t know if that meant a hill of beans at the moment.
*
CeCe stood in the restaurant, feeling numb and hollow. She heard Evan’s rushed footsteps as he fled the scene, and she feared she’d lost him. Every fiber in her told her to turn and run, to find him and apologize until there were no more words left to say. He deserved better than this blindsiding moment—this humiliation. In her haste to save herself from the embarrassment of sharing her past, she’d steamrolled him instead. The pain she wanted to avoid was now squarely on Evan, and she nearly doubled over with the frustration over her own stupidity.
It was all different now. She wanted to end the chaos, end the pain. She was tired of having Eric as a shadow she couldn’t outrun. This ended now.It had to.
Squaring her shoulders, CeCe checked to make sure she wasn’t alone. Max and Ginny stood frozen beside her, wearing matching expressions of disbelief. Sensing CeCe needed the support, Max reached out and cupped her shoulder. “We have your back,” he whispered. There wasn’t even a tremor in his voice, and it bolstered her.
“Now that we’re alone,” Eric slurred and stepped closer. The smoky smell of whiskey hit her nostrils, and she fought the urge to gag.
CeCe stepped to him and stabbed him in the chest with her index finger. The quick motion stung her, and she could tell from Eric’s expression that he was surprised.
“What was that for?” he asked, rubbing the sore spot.
“That’s for being a first-rate asshole,” CeCe spat. “And this,” she said as she raised her hand and slapped him across the face, “is for being a total heartless creep who likes to stalk his exes. You stay the hell away from me and my friends. You understand me?”
Eric’s face turned beet red. “Don’t you ever—” A worrisome shade of purple crawled up his neck all the way to the top of his ears.
CeCe flinched as his tone, hating herself for appearing weak in front of Max and Ginny. She’d had more than enough time away from Eric—to not let him scare her—to not let him get under her skin. Her relationship with Eric had turned into the equivalent of checking for bad eggs. If you missed one, it ruined the whole dish and made you sick as hell.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore,” CeCe finally found her words. She sucked in a breath, feeling her resolve strengthen. Eric was over a foot taller than her, and she had to crane her neck to meet his eyes. The effort was worth it, though, as she watched the muscles in his neck tense.
“I get to do whatever I want, and I’ll—” Eric’s words hitched when he saw their audience was back. Two girls in their late teens had their phones out, one of his groupies had her phone trained on him. His own vanity won out over revenge. “Sorry, folks, nothing to see here.” He flashed his signature grin and backed away from CeCe. “Misunderstanding with an old friend. Enjoy your meals.” The grin on his face was so forced, his molars creaked.
CeCe glanced around the dining room, noticing that more than one person had their phones out. She had a thought, a thought that would rip off the scab and end this pain once and for all. It meant exposing more of herself than she liked, but CeCe knew it was time. No matter what happened with Evan, she needed to do this.For herself.
