Page 101 of Lovestrung

“Look, we aren’t like you and Ethan, babe. We don’t pour our hearts out, declaring our undying love for one another. We fight most of the time, and then we fuck. That’s it.”

“That doesn’t sound healthy, Ella.”

“You’re probably right,” she muttered. “Maybe…” For the first time in a long time, I saw a sheen of vulnerability in her eyes.

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe it’s time we cut each other loose for good. Maybe it’s best for both of us.”

Not knowing what to say, I stared down at the now completely ruined muffin. We sat in silence for a long time, lost in our own thoughts, and I kept reliving everything that had happened since this morning. A sharp pang swept through my chest when I thought about Ethan now. I couldn’t bear to look at the pictures on my phone again. To see him with so many other women, even though I knew none of them had ever had that connection with him like I did, but it was one woman in particular that made me see red.

Astrid. God, how I hated that she’d had sex with Ethan. I loathed that she had feelings for him – it was clear to see through the haze of lust shining from her eyes when she’d looked at him, kissed him, when we’d met at the café all those weeks ago, but it was also evident in the photos. I couldn’t understand how he’d failed to see that.

“Babe,” Ella’s low voice brought me back to the here and now.

“What?”

“Do you love him?”

I breathed deeply, not wanting to burst into tears again. “Yes. I’ve always loved him.”

She nodded. “Then you’ll be all right.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do. I may be a cynic when it concerns my own love life, but I recognize love when I see it. And he loves you, Pip. I saw how you were together last night, remember? You only had eyes for each other – he never looked at all the women eyeing him up. You are all he sees. Try to remember that, yeah?”

I didn’t doubt he loved me, but his betrayal – his lack of trust – was what hurt me the most.

“But what if I’ll never be able to trust him again?”

She released my hand and sat back in her chair. “A hundred bucks says you will.”

For the first time in hours, I laughed. “What? You’re going to bet on it? You can’t be serious.”

She raised an eyebrow at me, her signature tell that she wasn’t bullshitting me.

“Are you saying you’re too chicken to take me on?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Ooh, now you’ve done it.” I extended my hand, and she clasped it firmly. “You’re on.”

“You’re going to lose, you know.”

I shrugged and released her hand. Truth be told, this was one bet I wanted to lose with every fiber of my being, but I didn’t tell her that, and I needed to hold on to my anger at Ethan for at least a few more days.

It wouldn’t be hard to do. Now that the initial shock was over, I was furious with him.

“I can’t sit here and mope all day,” I sighed and stood from my seat. “Want to hit the City Market? I need to get some supplies for my next project.”

Her chair scraped against the hardwood floor as she got up as well.

“Are you sure you want to go out today of all days?”

I rolled my eyes and took the plate to the kitchen sink. “I do my best thinking when I’m walking, but I don’t want to think about Ethan for a couple of hours.” I rested my back against the counter and crossed my arms. “I have a business to set up, so I want to get the ball rolling on that.”

Ella grinned at me and mirrored my movements. “Only if you promise to make that delicious peppermint sugar scrub again?” She ran a hand over her rosy cheeks. “I swear, my skin has never looked better. You’ve got a customer for life.”

Warmth at her praise spread through me and I nodded. “I promise. Just let me go get cleaned up, and I’ll be ready.”