Page 73 of Defying Ella
Only now did the ruckus of voices register. We’d been so absorbed in our conversations that I’d missed it getting busy. Plus, we were well tucked away from the crowd in the back room.
“I’ll be fine.”
Mel glanced at me as that familiar refrain fell from his lips. I jerked my head at her, my eyes begging her to just be silent.
Are you really going to let him subject himself to the very thing that freaks him out?
Yes. He dumped me. His problems were not mine and I didn’t need to take responsibility for managing his anxieties. The song and dance of Jared Michaels were far too familiar for me to walk into that trap. If I so much as attempted to reason with him, I’d get my head bitten off and I’d really rather not grace the asshole with my time or concern.
The manager guided disgruntled patrons out of the back section and began closing us in. When Rhiannon’s musical notoriety had spiralled even higher last year, they got caught out in the pub with a crowd of people mobbing them on their way in. Ever since, they just had to say the word and the staff closed down the back room for them to drink and hang out in peace.
James sat back down, tucking into the corner so Nia could get in next to him. Dan shuffled in next to Mel on the opposite side while Ryan took the seat next to me and Alys the final seat in the booth. Where Daphne had vanished to was anyone’s guess. All of them shared a look and suddenly, being surrounded by a bunch of loved up couples didn’t seem like such a great idea.
“I think I’m going to go.” I drained my wine glass and stood to a chorus of protests. “I’m really tired, so it’s for the best. I’ll text you later, okay?” I said to Mel, silencing whatever protest she had poised on the tip of her tongue.
I rushed out of the room before any of them could really argue. Sitting there with their pitying glances didn’t make my cut for an entertaining night. Better to spend it on my sofa with a gruesome book.
Daphne caught my hand before I could slip out the front door. She tugged me into the crowd gathered in the front, tilting her head towards a space opposite the bar. I didn’t have it in me to shrug it off so I went along.
When the crowd cleared, I wished I hadn’t.
“I don’t need to see this, Daph,” I muttered before tugging at the hand she still held.
“Look, Ella. Really look.” Her eyes darted between me and my recurring nightmare insistently. “Does that look normal to you?”
Sighing, I studied Jared, absorbed the heart-wrenching sight of him sharing that mischievous smile with anotherwoman. She giggled at something he said but they were too far away for me to hear.
“Looks like typical manwhore Jared to me.” I turned on my heel, intending to leave at last.
Daphne stopped me. “Look closer.”
I turned back, glaring at her but doing as ordered for some masochistic reason. He leaned against the wall, oblivious as always to everything around him but for his latest conquest.
She reached for his arm, and he rolled his shoulder back, avoiding her touch.
My eyes narrowed on that tiny movement.
“What on earth,” I muttered to myself.
“He’s acting weird, right?” Daphne said, an eager note in her voice.
He loved women touching him. I’d watched him pick up enough women to know his tells and for him to shrug off such a blatant expression of interest… what the hell was he playing at?
“I’m telling you, Ella, he’s lying to you and everyone else.” She nodded towards him, trying to be discreet. “That is not a man fully absorbed in picking up other women. He’s not even listening to her.”
His shoulders were too tense and his gaze kept wandering over her head towards the bar. From that position, he had a perfect view of the hallway I’d just exited.
Had he spotted me leaving?
No, I didn’t care whether any of it connected to me.
He said he hated putting on this stupid mask. Why the hell was he doing it now when he clearly wasn’t giving it his all?
My mind urged me to just turn around and get the hell out of the way. He’d made it perfectly clear he didn’t care what I thought. Yet my stupid caring heart couldn’t walk away.
Instead, I weaved through the remaining crowd and tables until I stopped right at his side. His gaze flicked to me lazilyand his fake flirtatious smile evaporated. The woman glanced between us, her brows knitting together.
“Can we help you?” she asked, her confusion ringing loudly.
