Irresistible Love

Chapter Eleven// Lies & Truth

Ethan Suave~

There were many speculations as to why my stomach felt restless at the thought and sight of Elle. For one, she was an absolute annoying brat who easily got ill-tempered with me. But that was what I loved most about her. She was the only female figure in my life who actually challenged me. She was not afraid of colliding and clashing a few nasty words back and forth. Surprisingly, it felt nice to realize that I was not always right. 

Elle also had cute habits, like scrunching her nose when she was debating with me, especially when the dispute got heated, which was most of the time. She also would fidget with her fingers when she was skittish or did not know an answer, like when I would quiz her on Romeo and Juliet. And then there were the regular occurrences when Elle would punch my shoulder in a playful manner, or when she would play nonsense games with Julia or bake with my mother...

Then it hit me; I had reached an epiphany of passion and lust, a feeling that had been boiling in my stomach since the moment when Elle pushed me off the seat in the cafeteria and poured a bottle of water over my head. She brought back memories that I had been so reluctant to remember, memories that stung like a bee, memories with Gina. But instead of Gina, I wanted Elle.

I wanted to experience those exact memories with Elle by my side to navigate me along the way. No matter how cliché and feminine it may make me sound, I needed Elle to show me what it was like to love someone again. Forget about what happened with Gina and I because Gina had her own reasons for breaking our relationship, and there was nothing that I could have done to prevent it.

But with Elle... I had the power to amend what had gone wrong. I had to make myself worthy and validate that I was no longer the same man who treated women like objects of possession. The games stopped here. 

The only problem was that she was pissed at me. But I thought that a few flowers and chocolates would regain her trust, right?

Elle Summerall~

Shattered. That was exactly how I considered my current conditions, and it was the feeling that I attempted to circumvent in the first place.

I desperately desired to slap myself for being so foolish. I did exactly what I told myself not to do: I fell for Ethan and his stupid games. Immediately, a rush of guilt pained my stomach. Nicole was right, and I was wrong. We got into a stupid fight about Ethan, and I mentally continued to lecture myself about my stupidity, even though it was the last thing I wanted to hear.

My first thought after thanking Jewels for explaining her story to me was to apologize to Nicole. I thought about calling her but felt that my apology needed to be said face-to-face. So, I walked to her house, which was seven blocks away, regardless of the rain that ironically began to shower. 

Nicole's front door slowly opened after I rang the doorbell the first time. "Elle," she breathed, quickly pulling me in. She shut the door and quickly came to my aid. "I don't know if you know this, but you are soaking wet. Are you crazy? Have you officially lost your mind? I don't want you to get a cold, oh gosh. Come upstairs with me. Let me get you some of my clothes. You need to--"

To shut her up, I cloaked my arms around Nicole, and she stood there like a stick. Even after our huge fight, Nicole was concerned about my well-being, and I felt so glad to have been blessed with such a great best friend even after I was such a bitch. "I am so sorry," I mumbled. "I am so sorry. You were right about Ethan, and I freaking fell for it. I'm stupid for believing his crap. You were right, and I treated you like shit. I said things that I shouldn't have through anger. Please forgive me. I am so sorry," I repeated.

Nicole pulled away, keeping a firm grip on my shoulders. "Okay, you have officially gone mad," she chuckled. "You don't have to apologize because there is nothing to say sorry for. So what if we got into a small bicker? It was inescapable and so was this heartbreak, no matter how hard you tried to evade it." She brought me to her living room's loveseat and waited for an explanation.