One Life Stand – Chapter 26

Ella received the information from Leon while he was out and set up a driver for her mother before calling her again.

“Most often you’ve called me in years.” Her mother chuckled.

“Yes, well… I wanted to make sure you knew about the driver coming to pick you up. I don’t want them showing up, and you’ve left already or whatever.” Ella sighed as she looked at the information for the driver. Knowing her mother was weary of people, she made sure to tell her his name and send a picture of him, so she knew what he looked like. “Mom, what would you think about moving more into the city, closer to me?”

“You know I’d love to be closer to you, but it’s always so crowded in the city. Besides, it costs way too much for me. My life is in this little suburban town; my job is here.”

“Even if you get a free house?”

“Free house? What in the world are you talking about?”

“Leon said we could get you a place closer to here—”

“I can’t accept something so grand.”

“You should, though; you deserve it. You always turn down gifts and whatnot, making it sound like you don’t deserve them, but you do. You’ve worked so hard your whole life; you deserve to rest and do what you want.”

“There are a lot of people who are in similar situations to me…”

“Does that make you any less deserving? Just because someone else has it worse or whatever, doesn’t mean you have to feel bad about accepting things being given to you.”

She was silent for a while. “I’ll think about it.”

“Okay, well, I should be getting back to work. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

“I love you too, honey.”

They both hung up. Ella sighed and leaned back in her chair.

I really wish she wasn’t so down on herself. I was happy growing up, and that’s something many people can’t say, but I can because of her.

Her phone rang. It was Jenny.

“Hello,” Ella answered.

“Um, if you’re not too busy right now, can I get your help? One of the guests went a bit psychotic, and one of our staff members had a total breakdown. I know you’re busy helping Mr. Hunt, but if there was ever an emergency to call on one of our experienced staff members, it’s now.”

“I understand. I’ll head down right away.”

“Thank you.”

Ella took the elevator down to the first floor and headed into the employee area. There, Jenny was talking to a few people, still trying to diffuse the situation, while a fellow employee was crying in the back.

“Hey.” Ella sat down beside them on the floor in the employee room. “Whatever happened, it’ll pass.”

“No, it won’t! They’re going to fire me! I need this job.” She sobbed. “I… can’t believe… he blamed me for everything. He even… threw wine at me! My uniform is ruined…”

“We have extras; don’t worry about that. But, whatever you did, they were out of line. You didn’t deserve this kind of treatment.”

“But… I did mess up… I can’t believe how angry he got…”

“Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

“A domino of things! I got blamed for their room not being ready when they weren’t supposed to be there for another five hours. And then after that argument, they went to their room and complained it was facing the wrong direction. Then it was the food. I didn’t cook it, but I apparently did something wrong with it. And then I knocked over a vase in the room by accident, and they cut their foot when they stomped towards me in anger—”

“Ella, help, please,” Jenny popped her head into the room and begged her. “I think he’s going to start a fight.”

“Then call security to take him away. Our staff is more important than the customers, especially when the customer is the one acting like a brat.”

“Ella!”

“Go… I’ll be okay.” The other staff member wiped her tears away. “But be careful; I don’t trust this man.”

“Okay.” Ella stood and adjusted her clothes. “I’ll try to smooth things over.” She exited to where Jenny was, and when she saw who the man was, she froze.

He spotted her, and his eyes widened. “Ella? So this is where you work?” Sebastian eyed her uniform.

“Um…”

“You know him?” Jenny whispered to her.

“Sorta…”

“Sorta? Come on, Ella—”

“I need to use one of the private rooms,” Ella cut Sebastian off as she turned to Jenny.

“Um, sure thing.” Jenny pointed down the hall. “Use meeting room two; it’s empty right now. Should I send someone else to go with you?”

“No…” Ella leaned close to Jenny. “But please call Leon and tell him I need him; ex-number-one is here.”

“O-okay…” Jenny had his number for business purposes, but practically never used it. She gripped her phone, waiting for Ella to walk away before doing anything. “Stay near the door,” she whispered to the male concierge nearby. “I don’t trust him.”

Ella walked down the hall, gripping her hands in front of her to stop them from shaking. Sebastian followed behind her. His eyes trailed down her and he smirked.

“So, you really work here?” he asked.

“Of course; do you think this uniform is for show?” She opened the door to the room and motioned with her hand for him to enter.

“Fancy place. Do they pay nice?” he asked as he passed by her.

“Not sure what that matters to you.”

“Well, I’m wondering if you’re living a decent life or not.”

“Stop pretending to care. Why were you making such a fuss earlier? You know the staff are people with feelings, right? And it’s not like anything they did was on purpose.”

Sebastian smirked and leaned on the table behind him. “You think I should forgive her when she can’t even do her job properly?”

“You showed up early; don’t forget to take some blame.”

“They should be ready way before the customer gets here when they have a reservation.”

“Wouldn’t that depend on how long before? And who cares what direction your room is facing?”

“I asked specifically—”

“I swear, you’re just out to be a jerk. Come on, the food? She didn’t cook it; don’t take your anger out on her.”

Sebastian’s eyebrow twitched. “You’ve changed a bit, and it hasn’t even been long since I saw you.”

Because I know I have to be strong in front of you. “People change.”

“I like the fire.” He smirked. “I mean, I already liked you before, but this Ella…” He licked his lips. “She seems even more fun.”

“That may be so, but I’m also taken. I’m off limits, so don’t even think about it.”

“Too late; already thinking about it.”

Ella held back the urge to roll her eyes. “Look, we’re sorry about any inconveniences you may have encountered, and we can offer you one night, free of charge, so long as you don’t make a big deal about this.”

“You’re right, a bad review of this place could get that woman fired, couldn’t it? So, how about you go on a date with me, and I’ll forget any of this happened?”

“No deal. As I’ve said, I’m not on the market.” Ella crossed her arms and hardened her expression.

“That look may work on others, but I know you better than that, Ella; you’re soft on the inside.” He sauntered up to her and backed her into the wall. “Come on, we both know you only took me to a private room because you wanted time alone with me.”

“No; I just didn’t want our past being spread around.” She glared up at him. “We’ve been done for a long time, Sebastian,” she spat his name out. “With no chance of it happening again.”

His cheek twitched. “Do you think you’re too good for me now?” he growled.

Don’t provoke him, Ella!

“I have been for a long time. I didn’t deserve to be treated like a possession and betrayed because I didn’t give you what you wanted.”

He leaned in close to her. “I’m a guy; get over it. And of course, I treated you that way; you were mine. You’ll be mine again soon.”

“In your dreams.” She glared at him and dug her nails into her arms as she refused to back down.

Leon, please show up soon.

He smirked and gripped her chin. “You’ve been in my dreams this whole time, Ella. It’s been telling me it’s you. You may have run away before, but I won’t let you get away this time.”

She shuddered and swatted his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

The door wriggled open, and Leon came in huffing. “You.” He pointed at Sebastian. “What are you even doing here?” he growled.

“I needed a hotel close by for some business I have in town. Sure, I could have commuted, but it’s so much more convenient this way,” Sebastian answered him. “Ended up with a good surprise after the mess, though.” He turned back to Ella. “I’m glad our run-in wasn’t a onetime deal. I look forward to seeing you again during my stay.” He turned back to Leon. “I am still allowed to be here, right? Pretty sure I could make it look bad if you threw me out.”

“If you do anything to my Ella, then I’m not going to care about reputation, and I’ll be coming after you.”

“Ha,” he chuckled. “I’ll see you later.” He winked at Ella and left, giving Leon a shove as he went.

“Are you okay?” Leon ignored him and went up to Ella to check her over. He patted her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Ella? Did he…?”

She leapt at him, into his chest, as her whole body shook. “H-he didn’t get a chance to do anything. I’m so glad you showed up…”

He wrapped his arms around her. “Of course, I came. I can’t believe you brought him here to talk alone, though.”

“Who knows what kind of scene he might’ve tried to make if I didn’t?”

“But it’s dangerous to be alone with him.”

“I can’t keep running every time I’m afraid.” She gripped his shirt.

“This isn’t about running away from a problem; this is about putting yourself in danger.”

“That’s why I told her to contact you.”

“But what if I couldn’t get here in time? We don’t know what he might’ve tried to do, even with someone not far outside…” Leon sighed and hugged her tighter. “I am glad you called for me. I’m even happier and relieved you’re alright.”

It was in his touch every time. She hadn’t given it much thought before, but he cared for her. Truly, deeply, cared for her. She couldn’t deny that his feelings were true, or that he made her feel safe. She could rely on him.

This feeling… it’s what I’ve always been searching for. She hugged him tighter, relaxing into his embrace.

“Ella?”

“Oh, sorry.” She tried to pull away, but he kept her close.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, but I wanted to make sure it’s okay to have him here. I can have him banished from my hotel, and all hotels linked with my family, if you want.”

“No.” She shook her head. “Thank you, but I don’t think we need to go that far. He’ll likely want to cause trouble and get me to serve him somehow, but I don’t want to have to resort to anything that could hurt the company.”

“I don’t think he could manage to do that, but okay.” He let out a deep sigh. “I think you need the rest of the day off… and so do I.”

“On that note…” They finally pulled away from each other, but he kept a hand on her waist. “Did I pull you out of a meeting?” she asked.

“Uh…”

“I hope I didn’t cause too much trouble.”

“It’ll be fine; don’t worry about it. Zeke was left to handle things.”

As if on cue, Leon’s phone went off.

Ring, ring, ring.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Ella asked.

Leon groaned and looked at his phone. “Yes, Zeke,” he answered it. His face contorted.

“If you have to go, you can go. I’m okay now,” Ella assured him.

He held the phone away from his head. “You may be, but I’m not,” he whispered to her. “I’m worried he’ll come back and try something.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Alice… We should bring her here and make sure you don’t stray from her side, at least for today.”

“If we’re having someone guard me and work, I’d say Charlie would be the best option… Not that I’m complaining about Alice.”

“Charlie doesn’t work here though… You know, if your other friends want to work here as well, I’m sure we have some positions open for them.”

“Isn’t that an abuse of power?” Then again, he probably did that to get me here, too…

“At least it’s for something good.”

“True, but I don’t think our old company would want to lose two more of their experienced staff in such a short time.”

“Does seem a bit mean, but you can leave the offer open for them.”

“I’m getting favourable treatment at work…” Ella mumbled. Kinda both like it and feel bad at the same time.

“Of course you are; you’re the boss’s wife-to-be. Heck, after we’re married, and I’m forced to take over my father’s company, which owns mine anyway, you can run this one if you want.”

“I’m not sure I’m cut out for that.”

“There’s time to learn and change your mind.” He shrugged. “That’s still way in the future, anyway.”

“Really? I thought they’d be trying to push it onto you as soon as we’re married.”

“Na, they’ll give me a few years to prove it’s working, and then push it onto me.” He smirked and lightly brushed her bangs aside. “I should go before Zeke starts spamming me with calls.” He kissed her forehead. “Stick with Alice and call me if anything else happens. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.” Ella touched her forehead and smiled, his warmth still lingering.

---

Continued in chapter 27.

One Life Stand – Chapter 23

Leon arrived at Charlie’s house and gazed up at the dark sky before knocking on the door.

Kyra opened the door. “Even avoided ringing the doorbell, so you wouldn’t wake anyone? Come in.” Kyra led him into the living room. “There’s your sleeping beauty.”

“Should we be getting Alice home?”

“She can stay there; she’ll be fine.”

“What about you? Do you need a ride?”

“Me? Oh, my, that’s sweet of you, but I can call my husband for a ride.”

“You have children, right?”

“Yes… who should be in bed right now.”

“Still, it’s best not to leave them home alone.”

“It’s a bit out of the way…”

“Don’t worry about it. I insist on you letting me drive you home.” He smiled at her, and her heart skipped a beat.

“Oh dear… you are quite charming. Did you know that?”

“I aim to be.” He was confident he could charm most people.

“Fine, you can drive me home.” Kyra found herself unable to stop smiling.

“She looks so cute when she’s asleep… Then again, she’s always cute,” Leon mumbled as he stared at Ella softly. Careful not to wake her – though she wasn’t actually asleep – Leon cradled her in his arms and headed to his car. Kyra held the door to the house open, to make sure she didn’t hit her head, and helped him lay her down in the backseat.

Kyra sighed as she sat in the front passenger seat. “It’s so cushy… and warm.” She giggled as she buckled up. She lightly slid her hand across the door. “Must be super-high-end or something.”

“I suppose so,” Leon chuckled. “Where to?”

Kyra gave him her address, and they drove off.

“So…” Leon glanced back at Ella in the backseat. “Is she feeling any better?”

“I’m not sure. We talked a lot and drank a lot, but she has her own issues to work through.”

“I’d like to help her with that if I can.”

“She told us about how you two actually met.”

“Oh?”

“I think it’s sweet, and now this makes more sense. You’re still being a bit pushy with wanting to marry her, but at least I understand it now.”

Leon gripped the stirring wheel tighter, a faint blush forming on his cheeks.

“I’m sorry if you didn’t want us to know about that—”

“I understand how close you all are, so I expected it,” Leon said. “It’s just embarrassing. My younger self was so weak.”

“Everyone is weak when they’re young, and everyone has times when they’re weak otherwise, so don’t worry about it.”

“Ella’s right about you; you’re the wise, mature one of the group.”

Kyra nodded. “I have to be that with them and at home.” She sighed. “Such is my life.”

“Must be tiring.”

“It can be, but I love it. They rely on me, and I like that feeling.”

“I have a feeling they always will.”

“I imagine so, but Ella will probably be relying on me less soon, with you in the picture.” She watched the light posts as they sped by them. “You’re going to have to have a lot of patience and tenancy to be with her.”

“I have that in abundance, trust me.” The fifteen-year gap since he saw her felt long as it was passing, but short when he looked back at it.

“I guess you’d have to have a lot of patience to hold back for so long in the first place. Or at least, I’m assuming it is, but some people have no issue going without…”

“Ha…” He swallowed hard, not really wanting to talk about it. “Sometimes it was, but I’m crazy enough about her to keep waiting and hoping we’d be reunited.”

“But wouldn’t you only be in love with the version of her from your memories? How about now? Now that you’ve come together again, and you’ve gotten to know her better, are you still crazy in love?”

“Yes.” Leon had a soft smile and gaze as he kept his eyes on the road. “And yes, I know how crazy this all is, but it’s a dream come true for me. I know she has her reservations about me, and I can’t blame her, but I’m not going anywhere, and I plan to be the best man I can be for her.”

“Damn… Ella’s a lucky girl.”

“Thank you.”

“Just stating facts.”

“No, I mean thank you for talking to me like this, and for being there for her. If you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.”

“Might not want to be so open with favours like that; there are people who’ll take advantage of you.”

Leon pulled up in front of her house and leaned closer to her, staring into her eyes. “But you’re not one of them, are you?”

Kyra froze for a moment, entranced by him. “No… I suppose I’m not. Thanks for the ride. Get home safe.” She rushed out of his car, shaking her head and fanning herself as she tried to calm down.

Ugh, it’s hard to keep pretending to be asleep while they talk like this the whole way! Ella peeked at Kyra out the window and shut her eyes again as she adjusted her position slightly. And why was Kyra getting flustered?!

Leon looked back at her again. “Still asleep? I’ll try to make it a smooth ride home.” He drove off.

Ella couldn’t help but notice how he was still as sweet as he was as a kid. Some things don’t change.

On the way home, Ella actually passed out, and when she was starting to come to, she could feel strong arms carrying her. She leaned into him more, snuggling close as she breathed in his comforting, familiar, citrusy scent.

“Did I wake you? I’m sorry, but you’ll be safe in your own bed soon,” Leon said as he carried her through their penthouse suite after kicking his shoes off at the door. He pushed her door open with his foot and laid her down on her bed. He took her shoes off and kissed her forehead. “Sleep well, my Ella.”

Give him a chance, hmm?

Her hand shot out and grabbed his. “Stay…” she mumbled.

“Um… Do you know what you’re asking?”

She nodded, her eyes open a slit. “Just stay near… nothing more…”

I wonder if he can manage that; we’ve been a bit naughty any time we’re in bed together.

“If that’s what you want.”

Ella nodded again and let go of his hand.

Leon took his jacket off and laid down beside her, his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. “I hope you’re feeling better now,” he whispered, not sure if she was awake enough to hear him anymore.

“Mmm…” She rolled onto her side and cuddled up to him, her hand resting on his chest and head on his shoulder.

Leon wrapped an arm around her, feeling comfortable. He stayed awake, though overly aware of her presence. “How am I supposed to sleep like this without doing anything?” He sighed and closed his eyes, wondering if she was trying to test him somehow.

Ella smiled a bit as she cuddled closer to him, leaving no space between them. I probably shouldn’t tease him too much after he’s been so sweet.

He looked down at her. “Are you awake?”

Don’t answer him! She had to remind herself as she kept her eyes shut.

Leon sighed. “I’ve been hoping to talk to you since that night, but you’ve been avoiding me. For reference, I like eating breakfast with you in the morning; it’s like we’re already married, and it’s nice to have someone to eat with at home. Oh well, we will talk later, but for now, let’s try to sleep.”

---

Continued in chapter 24.

One Life Stand – Chapter 22

Ella rushed to unbuckle her seatbelt and nearly rolled out of the car, hurling.

“We haven’t even started drinking yet,” Charlie complained as she rubbed Ella’s back.

Kinda glad I didn’t eat much today… Ella wiped her mouth with a tissue. “Isn’t this your house?” Ella looked over at the two-storey, double-garage house with a garden near the front door. She had come over a few times, but Charlie always wanted to go somewhere that wasn’t her place, so they rarely went there. “Why are we here?”

“So we can drink and not worry. Besides, I also have a freezer full of ice cream.”

“Look, I’m not really in the mood—”

“Don’t give me any of that.” Charlie pushed Ella towards her house. “We want to know what happened, and we’ll do whatever we must to get you talking, even if that means getting you piss drunk.”

“Oh my gosh, I’ve already told myself I wouldn’t be doing that anymore. I’m too old for it, anyway.”

“But you’re more open when you’re drunk.”

“But if we’re all drinking, then you guys probably won’t remember what I say.”

“Kyra is going to be here, and you know even if she drinks too much – which she never does – she still wouldn’t be drunk. That mama is immune, I say!”

“She can hold her liquor, can’t she?”

“Indeed.” Charlie dragged Ella into the living room, where Alice and Kyra were already waiting.

“Aren’t you busy making supper at this time normally?” Ella asked Kyra.

“My eldest has agreed to make supper for me and told me to enjoy my night,” Kyra explained. “I am a bit worried, but they are the most responsible of them, and my husband will be home soon enough, anyway. Now, how about you sit down and we get to drinking?” Kyra patted the seat on the couch between her and Alice.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Ella tried to back away, but Charlie gave her a push forward, and Kyra caught her, sitting her down with her hand on her shoulder. “I’m not in the mood to drink…”

Charlie vanished into the next room for a moment and came back, rolling in a cart full of bottles. “Time for our own mixtures,” she cheered and pulled out a mixer. “So, what should we start with?”

Ella sighed, leaning back on the couch as she stayed silent.

“How about we make it fun?” Alice pulled out a pair of dice. “Going across for the numbers, we’ll just roll to see what to mix.”

“I imagine getting some wonky mixes… Let’s do it!”

Kyra gave Ella’s shoulder a squeeze. “Sometimes it’s good to have some silly fun like this with your friends.”

“Isn’t that what got me into the mess with Leon?” Ella wiggled her left ring finger around.

“Don’t you like him now, though?”

“What?” Ella frowned.

“Between what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard from the others, you are way more comfortable around him than your past boyfriends.”

“Am I?”

“I mean, I admit I thought Nathan would work out… but you two seemed a bit off. You seemed better with Leon until Alice ran her mouth… then things changed again, so—”

“Your turn!” Alice handed Ella the dice, making a face as she drank her drink.

Ella stared at the dice as her friends chanted ‘throw’ all around her. “I’m not doing this.” She went to put the dice down, and Alice knocked her hand.

“Oops, looks like you get one and six.”

“Isn’t that a seven?”

“Not when we’re lucky to even get one throw of the dice from you.”

“I didn’t actually—”

“Too bad!” Charlie set the drink down. “Drink up, missy.”

“You know they’re not going to back down,” Kyra whispered to her. “At least indulge them a little; they’re worried… and so am I.”

Ella chugged down her drink. “Ah…” It had an unusual mix of flavours and burned going down.

“Uh… you didn’t look at what it was, did you? That was a strong one.” Charlie cringed.

“Ugh… what was in that?”

“Next!” Alice handed the dice to Kyra to continue it. She ended up rolling the same number twice, and they fought over having two shots of the same thing or three different things in one, by splitting the number.

How can I feel buzzed off one drink? What the hell did she give me? Ella leaned her head on Kyra’s shoulder, and Kyra stroked her head.

“There, there, girl. We’re all here for you. Now, can you tell us what happened?” Kyra asked.

“Alice was right…”

Kyra and Charlie both looked at Alice, who was frowning, trying to remember what she’d said.

“I ruined Bruce’s life. I hurt him so much… I wasted his time… If it wasn’t for me, he could’ve been married with kids and had an easier ride getting promotions.”

“Sounds like that jerk is blaming you for his misgivings.” Charlie slammed a bottle down after chugging a chunk of it. “What an ass!”

“Watch your mouth,” Kyra warned her, too used to saying it to her husband around the kids or her eldest kid.

“Sorry, ma’am.” Charlie made a zipping motion across her lips. “I’ll try to contain myself while you’re here.”

“Thank you.”

Guess I really can’t handle much alcohol, anymore…

“Alice and Bruce are both right… What kind of scum dates people for years and throws them away as soon as marriage comes into the picture? A severely damaged person, that’s who.” Ella sighed.

“The first one wasn’t your fault; he was a cheater,” Kyra said. Among other things.

“But what about Justin? What about Bruce? What about Nathan? I’ve run away every time, and they’re good men…”

“At least you didn’t agree to marry Nathan and then run away,” Alice said. “Ow!” she yelped as Charlie punched her in the arm.

“You’re not helping.” Charlie slung back another drink.

“What?” Alice pouted. “I was trying to help.”

“The lot of you are drunk already, aren’t you?” Kyra sighed. “Such lightweights. Look, Ella.” Kyra wrapped her hand around Ella’s. “We can all admit you’ve had issues in the past, but there’s no saying what would’ve happened if you stuck with any of them, and playing the what-if game will only make everything worse. You don’t know what might’ve happened, and there’s no way to know. For all you know, you could’ve been miserable. Could you have gone about it a different way, yes? But you didn’t, so how about thinking about the future instead of the past, or rather the present? Think about Leon. He’s your future—”

“What if I mess him up, too? He’s so young and innocent… I could destroy him…”

“If you don’t want to destroy him, then stop running away!” Kyra snapped at her. “He’s stronger than you think, and you’ll never truly be able to outrun your problems!”

Ella flinched back, her eyes wide as she stared at Kyra.

“Give him a chance. I think he deserves that much.”

“And if I don’t actually love him?”

Kyra exchanged a look with her drunken friends. “Why are you deciding that before you give him a chance? But I’m also certain he’ll chase you even if you run away. And I don’t mean in the crazy Sebastian way, but in a way that you’ll know he’s waiting for you with open arms.”

“How are you so sure about him?” Ella’s words slurred. “I’m not sure… even after him telling me we met when we were younger.”

They all froze and turned to her. “What?” they asked in unison.

Ella gave them a brief summary of what happened when she was fifteen.

Alice squealed. “Oh my gosh, this just got way sweeter!”

“For once, I agree with her.” Charlie chugged on another bottle of unknown alcohol. “How can you not fall for that story? And why haven’t we heard about this incident before?”

“It didn’t come to mind…” Ella shrugged. It hasn’t been long since I found out.

“Ugh! I feel so bad for him now! He’s been pining after you since he was an elementary school kid, and you haven’t thought of him at all.”

“I probably did when I was fifteen… because I was worried about him, but life moves on.”

“But this is totally fated!” Alice cheered. “You saved him. Now it’s his turn to save you!” She threw her hands into the air and fell back on the couch, unconscious.

“And she’s out!” Charlie laughed. “And girl, your life is complicated, but I don’t think it needs to be. How about you learn to relax and go with the flow? This Leon fellow seems like a keeper.” She chugged on another bottle and sighed, closing her eyes.

“And they’re both out.” Kyra looked at Ella. “It’s hard having such an active, anxious mind, isn’t it?”

Ella nodded.

“You understand that Bruce shouldn’t have taken his pain and anger out on you, right?”

“I deserved it…”

“Ella…” Kyra combed her fingers through Ella’s hair. “You hurt him, yes, but that doesn’t mean you’re to blame for everything that’s happened to him since then. He stayed stuck in the past. You haven’t even talked to him in years, so it’s not like he’s being reminded all the time. It says more about him than you that he’s like that.”

“You don’t get it? I did break him!”

“You obviously didn’t want to live your life with him, so you had to end it eventually.”

Ella went silent.

“Same with the others. I think you need to be a bit kinder to yourself and realize the real reasons you didn’t want to marry the other ones. Was it really because of your father? Because of Sebastian? I think there’s a reason for each one, and I think it wouldn’t have worked out, anyway.”

“How do I get this out of my head? How do I stop running away? How do I stop hurting people? I don’t want to hurt Leon.” Ella teared up.

“The only way to stop running is to summon your courage to face the situation head-on.”

“How…?”

“Confront your past issues.”

“Are you telling me to confront all of them?” That’s terrifying.

“I’m not sure I want you anywhere near Sebastian, so maybe a letter to him and then burn it. For the second one…”

“Well, Justin actually has a wife and kids now, and even happily asked to meet for coffee…”

“Not sure you have to worry about him, then; he moved on and seems fine. Bruce made you cry and left you like this, so I’m not sure he deserves an apology or anything.”

“I did apologize already…”

“Then that leaves Nathan.”

“Nathan… I ended up talking to him, but it didn’t feel like anything got resolved.” He’s still such a sweetie, and I think I hurt him the most. But if our talk last time didn’t leave it feeling resolved, what will? Maybe I just need to know he’s doing okay now.

“He’s probably the only one you have to deal with before you can truly move on with Leon.” Technically, Sebastian was the bigger issue.

“How do I not mess up with Leon?”

Kyra shrugged. “Trust him. Talk to him. Be open. It’s all I can suggest, really.”

“Kyra, you’re always so amazing.” Ella hugged her tightly. Hopefully, I can manage to follow your advice.

Ella’s phone rang, and she sat there staring at Leon’s name as it continued to ring.

“You’re not going to answer?” Kyra asked.

“I’ve… kinda been avoiding him.”

“And we just agreed you’d try to talk to him openly, right?”

“But… I’m drunk right now.”

“That should make it easier.”

“‘Should’ being the keyword here.”

“Have some courage.” Kyra snatched her phone and answered it.

“Ella? Thank goodness you’ve finally answered. I know the girls were going to talk to you or something today, but I haven’t heard from you, and you’re not back… and it’s pretty late,” Leon rambled on.

“Aren’t you just sweet?” Kyra said.

“Um… Is Ella there?”

“She’s right here…” Kyra looked at Ella, who was waving her hands frantically, not wanting to answer her phone. “Unfortunately, she drank too much and fell asleep. All of them did.” Kyra sighed. “Lightweights, the lot of them.”

Leon chuckled. “Okay, as long as everything’s alright.”

“Maybe you should come and pick her up. I’m sure she’d be more comfortable in her own bed than on the couch.”

“Ah, okay…”

“I’ll text you the address.”

“Thank you. I’ll be there soon.” They both hung up.

Ella stared at her with her mouth agape. “How… how could you?”

Kyra smiled at her. “This is what you get for not answering your phone. Now, let’s grab blankets for these two.”

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Continued in chapter 23.