The Stranger / Chris Evans x OC

Chapter 167: Confrontation

AMELIA

I finish up in the bathroom and make my way over to the sink as the bathroom door is pushed open. I don't look up right away, too focused on just finishing up so I can hurry back in case I miss something important at the show. 

I'm standing in front of the sink, washing my hands when I sense someone walking up behind me. I glance up in the mirror shortly, spotting a petite brunette woman, before my eyes dart back down to my hands.

It isn't until I notice how she's lingering behind me that I look up again, my eyes instantly meeting hers in the mirror. I freeze where I stand, a dread running through me when I recognize her.

It's her.

Of course.

I quickly look away, turning to dry my hands off so I can run out of the bathroom, run to safety, but when she speaks, my entire body tenses.

"You're Amelia. Right?"

We're alone in the bathroom, no one else is in here currently, which makes me feel even more nervous. I'm not prepared for what might happen, or what she may say; my mental state lately is in no way strong enough to handle if she says anything to rub my nose in the fact that she came here with the man I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. 

I keep my eyes on the paper towels as I dry off my hands, my movements stiff when I turn around to face her, "Yes, I am. Do we know each other?"

The brunette woman offers me an apologetic smile, taking a small step closer before she speaks quietly, "I'm Cara. Chris' best friend."

I nod, my hands smoothing down my dress while I keep my gaze at the ground, "Yeah, I think he mentioned that."

"Right," she says with a small smile, stepping closer once again, "I--uhm.. I'm the woman in the photos."

"I know," I reply curtly, I picking my clutch up from the edge of the sink, "I recognize you."

"I wanted to introduce myself, just to explain what-"

"Nice to meet you," I cut her off with a forced smile, finally meeting her eyes, "If you'll excuse me, I need to go."

"Wait," she pleads when I walk past her, her hand reaching out for me but not touching me, "Wait, please. Just one second. Please?"

I turn to face her, inhaling deeply while my eyes fan over her face, "As I've told Chris several times, I'm not interested in hearing whatever story you've both conjured up. Whatever it is between you, it's between the two of you. I don't know how your husband feels about it, and frankly it's none of my business, but I've told Chris how I feel on the matter. And that's it."

"Amelia," she says, her tone a little harsher than before due to my words, "Chris and I are not together, we never have been. We've known each other for a very long time, we grew up together, but we've always been just friends. We are very close and comfortable around each other, but neither of us are interested in anything beyond that. Those pictures did not show the truth, they were manipulated to make it look like something it wasn't. Something it isn't."

I nod, offering her a small smile when I manage to muster it, "Okay, I appreciate you explaining that to me. But what's done is done. If you know Chris as well as I think you do, I assume you know what he's like in a relationship. With that in mind, even if nothing more was happening between you, it still wasn't okay. Whatever it is you were doing." I furrow my brows, scoffing as I quietly mumble, "If I'd ever acted like that with any of my straight friends, his head would've exploded.."

Cara clears her throat, fidgeting with her purse a little, "I uh.. I actually don't know what he's like in a relationship that much because it rarely ever happens. And even the ones he's been in, he either keeps them secret, keeps it private from the rest of us, or they're over too quickly to really get to see what he's like in them."

I snort, rolling my eyes slightly as I grumble, "Of course they are."

She frowns at my words, and when my eyes meet hers again, they're earnest, "This time is different. He loves you so much. I've never seen this before. He's still broken up about it, he's not been the same since. Normally, when he breaks up with someone, he'll go out a lot. Drink, hook up with girls, basically he'll drown his sorrows and act like a total asshole, until he comes back to normal again."

I feel bile reaching my throat at her words. No matter how upset I am, the thought of him with another woman makes me want to-

"But he didn't do that this time."

I blink in surprise, my brows furrowing when she continues speaking.

"He's been a shell of himself. I rarely see or hear from him, none of us do. He hasn't gone out, he hasn't showed up to any of the plans we've made, not even for birthdays. He's always been a homebody but this is different. And he's sad. So, so sad. I've never seen him like this before, he is.. broken. The only reason he wanted to come tonight was because he was hoping to see you. Even though he knew you wouldn't talk to him, he just wanted to see you, that's all he talked about on the drive over. And since he saw you earlier, all he's talked about is how much he misses you."

My heart clenches, the dread once filling my body now turning into guilt. I can feel a painful knot forming in my stomach, trying to take steady breaths to keep myself from crying.

"The only reason I'm here tonight is because his team advised it. After the articles, they figured it would be a smart move for me to come here, with him, and my husband, to prove there is nothing more than friendship between us."

Her words make me release a breath I didn't even know I was holding, but the tears are still threatening to gather in my waterline, even more so when she speaks again.

"He really loves you," she whispers, holding sincere eye contact that makes me want to break down and cry, "More than anyone else. Trust me, I would know. I've seen him after all the others. But this time is different."

I swallow thickly, the back of my eyes prickling with tears which makes me avert my gaze to look at the floor. She steps closer until she can walk around me, her hand touching my arm gently when she says, "He doesn't know I'm doing this, but I just felt like I had to. If you don't love him back, I understand. Leave it be. But if just a small part of you still does, then please talk to him. I know he would do anything for you to forgive him."

She gives my arm a reassuring squeeze before she walks out, leaving me alone in the bathroom. Just in time for the tears to spill over, trailing down my cheeks as a sob escapes my lips. 

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