Page 79 of Barron's Second Chance
"I'm more of a Poirot man, myself."
Barron gave a snort of amusement at his joke. But he wasn't smiling at what he said next.
"So that means either you were some stalker who followed her around as kids,oryou were in a relationship that crashed and burned. Badly."
Barron shook his head when Josh offered him another hit. "That's none of your business," he bluntly said. Celebrity or not, he wouldn't divulge their personal baggage to him.
Josh shrugged, not offended by his harsh tone.
They were quiet for a moment. The night air was cool with a lingering heat. The scent of foliage and Josh's joint permeated the air. Insects chirped, disturbing an otherwise still night.
Just as he was about to turn back into the house, Josh spoke.
"I met Eden when she was barely nineteen," he started. He blew out the smoke he had held in his mouth, shaking his head at the memory. "I've never seen a more lost person in my life."
He was startled at his comment. "What do you mean?"
He only shrugged. "I won't get into specifics, but when I said we were at some mad parties, I mean we were at some fucking mad parties."
Barron's stomach dropped as he was plagued by thoughts of what he could mean by that. The term “sex, drugs, and rock n roll” came to mind. The idea of his sweet Eden partaking in free sex and narcotics was too much to bear. It didn't put him off. Not by a long shot. But he was highly aware that she was still coming off the back of his betrayal at eighteen and nineteen. It didn't seem like a coincidence that she had indulged in a party lifestyle so close to their break up.
"It all makes sense." Josh lit up the end of his joint again, taking another long drag. "You two broke up not long before she left here, right?"
He shook his head, thankful that the night hid his facial expression. "Again, that's none of your concern."
"I hear ya, mate." He held his hands up in defense. "Sorry, call me overprotective and nosy." He put his joint out and placed it in the ashtray that he knew Eden provided him, wanting him to feel at home.
"I know what your intentions are with her. I can feel the alpha He-Man vibes coming off you."
He flushed, hoping that Eden hadn't picked up on what he was unaware he was putting out. He had promised to be on his best behavior, and he meant it.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to come off rude."
"Nah, mate, you're all right." He waved off his apology. "All I will say is that I've seen Eden self-destruct and turn her life around. I hope that whatever your intentions are with her, you're doing it with her well-being in mind and not for selfish reasons."
Barron stood there stunned. He went to speak, but all he could think of were the words:self-destruct. Turn her life around. Wild parties. Lost.
Instead of waiting for a response, Josh slapped him on the back before turning to go back inside, leaving Barron to contemplate what it all meant.
Barron strode down the familiar hallway of his former high school. The last time he was here to see Eden - admittedly under the guise of picking up Bailey - things between them had been...frosty.
They had come such a long way since then.
When Barron didn't get a text from her, he decided to throw caution to the wind and try to catch Eden after class.
Even though things had thawed considerably between them, it wasn't enough for him to know precisely where they stood. He had an awful feeling that Eden would leave here without talking to him, kissing any chance of a reconciliation goodbye. Not that that would stop him. New York was only an hour away by plane. He would start racking up those air miles if push came to shove.
He was up most of the night thinking about Eden and running Josh's words repeatedly in his head. He needed to talk to her himself, get her to open up to him about their past and hers. Maybe then they can finally start working towards a future.
He stopped outside their old music room, smiling as he heard the soft lilt of her voice. Bailey had raved about the class she took with Eden. His cousin had a serious case of heroine worship going on. And he couldn't blame the kid. He had firmly cemented himself as Eden's number-one fan. He would happily champion her from the sidelines. He'd willingly attend all her fashion shows and events, carrying her handbag for her along the way. All he needed was one chance. One opening from her that he could win her heart and her trust back.
".....is so common now. But the stigma and shame around it have thankfully lifted."
Barron had been so mesmerized by the sound of Eden's voice that her actual words hadn't penetrated. But his ears perked up when certain buzz words reached him.
"Did you know that about four million young people between the ages of twelve and seventeen suffer from depression? And about twenty-one million adults over eighteen suffer from it, too."
He could feel a heavy pause in her words as he craned his head closer to hear, ignoring the pang of guilt in invading her privacy.
