TOO GOOD ━ SUGG. ✓

chapter forty-one

"Alyssa," Alfie said as he snapped two fingers in front of my face and let out a soft laugh. "What's going on with you? Did something happen that I'm not aware of?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Alfie," I assured him softly, denying what had happened just days before. "I'm just excited to see Troye perform tonight."

"It's a going to be great," he admitted and grabbed his keys from the table. He walked over and squeezed Zoë's shoulder before he bent down to kiss her on the cheek. "Alyssa and I are heading out now."

"Have fun you two! Tell me how it goes!"

"Thanks Zoë, I wish you were coming with us."

"I think I'm coming down with something," she replied sadly and nodded as if to confirm it. "I wish I could come too."

"The uber's outside. Are you ready to go?" Alfie asked softly and smiled.

I nodded quickly and bid my goodbyes to Zoë for me to pass through before he shut the door behind him. We walked down the steps and towards the waiting car quickly. I opened the door of the car and slid inside, watching as Alfie got inside beside me and shut the door.

"How are you two doing today?" The driver asked cheerfully.

"We're good, thank you."

"Where you heading to?"

"The train station," Alfie suddenly said and when I looked over, he was looking straight ahead.

"You're okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm just feeling guilty for leaving Zoë home alone," he admitted and I could hear the worry in his voice. I experienced that worry once, when I would worry about-

No.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine," I assured him with the standard answer. The answer that everyone who wasn't fine said.

"I'm just trying to look out for you, Alyssa. You don't have to shut me out."

"I never told you what actually happened when Zoë and I went to go drop off Joe's sweater, did I?"

"I don't recall you saying anything about it, actually. I just assumed that Zoë dropped it off and the two of you went back to Brighton."

"When we got there, Zoë was the one who went up and I was waiting for her in the car when I saw Brooklyn coming out of Joe's flat."

"Brooklyn, as in Joe's ex-girlfriend, Brooklyn?"

I nodded quickly and paused for a moment before continuing on. "I was tired of waiting for Zoë and when I saw her there, I got curious, so me being me, I got out of the car and called out to her."

"When I approached her, the only thing she said was that she was sorry. I didn't know what she was talking about at the time, so I ignored it and I went into Joe and Caspar's building."

I looked over at Alfie who had been listening to me intently and watched as he motioned for me to continue. I wanted to spare him the details so I cut straight to the point.

"Long story short, Joe cheated on me with Brooklyn and I broke it off that day," I whispered softly before looking up at him and watched as his mouth dropped open.