Chapter Thirty-Four
Eliza
A full week had passed, and I still hadn’t heard from Ian. Nor had I heard from Raymond. The only person that had called me again was my mother, but I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to her. I told her that I was busy with an important project and thankfully she believed me. I was glad that I no longer lived near her. At least I could run away and hide from things with ease. The only people that I really wanted to talk to were Mae and Ian, and Ian was out the picture. Which just left Mae, my rock throughout it all.
When I got to work that day, I saw Mae standing outside. She had her bag on her shoulder, and she looked as if she were waiting for someone.
“Yay! You’re here,” she said and beamed at me.
“Uh, yeah. It’s Friday. I’m here to work,” I said, climbing up the stairs. “Did you think I wasn’t going to come? Hey, where are you going? You look like you’re waiting for someone.”
“Don’t go any further. You’re not going into work today. And I am waiting for someone. I’m waiting for you.”
“I’m not going to work? Why not?”
“Because you and I are having a girls’ day.”
I chuckled. “That’s a nice thought, but I don’t think John is going to be very happy with that idea.”
“John happens to be completely fine with that idea. No big project to work on, so you and I get the day off. I told Paul that we had to go out and buy stuff for another assignment. I didn’t want him to think that we were getting special treatment or anything.”
“We sort of are, though.” I was pretty sure that giving us a girls’ day when we should be working was considered special treatment. Although I knew that John would basically do anything when it came to Mae. I wondered what she had said to get him to agree to this.
“Yeah but he doesn’t need to know that. He’s got enough home stress to worry about.”
“Are you being serious about the day off?”
“I certainly am. You haven’t eaten, have you?”
“No, and I’m starving,” I said. I had planned to get a bite at work. Lately, I just hadn’t been in the mood to cook anything at home.
“Good. I have a full day planned for us.”
“You have?”
“We’re going for breakfast first. Then I’ve booked us at the hairdresser. After that, we’re going to see a movie. Then we’re going for a late lunch. How does that sound?”
I looked at her in amazement. “It sounds like the perfect day. Mae, you’re incredible. And you’re sure that John doesn’t mind?”
“He doesn’t mind.”
“He’s the best boss!”
I’d told John all about what had happened at the party, and explained how Ian had not been at fault. He’d told me how much he liked Ian, and how much he’d enjoyed speaking with his father too. He said they were good people and that the club had done no wrong. He’d told me that he was going to talk to the newspaper to see what he could do, but that in the meantime I should know that it wasn’t my fault. I’d cried a little in his office, and he’d sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Giving us a day off was probably more to do with the fact that he could walk around the office without worrying about upsetting me.
“Okay, so here’s the deal,” Mae said the moment we found a table at a nearby café. “We’re going to order a big breakfast and at least two cups of coffee. Then you’re going to tell me everything that’s upsetting you. I mean, everything! And once we finish talking about the whole situation, we’re going to leave this place and go get our hair done. Once we’re there, we won’t talk anymore about Ian or the party or Raymond. Once we walk out of this café, we are going to just concentrate on having a good day together.”
I smiled at her. “That’s a deal for sure. I’m good with that.”
I actually wasn’t sure that I wanted to even talk about Ian, but now that she had opened up the idea to me, it suddenly seemed like a good idea. We ordered waffles with scrambled eggs and bacon, and two cappuccinos—one for before the meal and one for after, and then we settled in for the chat.
“So, how are you feeling?”
“I miss Ian so much. And I feel like this whole thing was my fault. I keep picturing the other members of the club reading the newspaper and being upset at him for putting them in the spotlight. And I keep thinking of his father. Ian was always telling me how hard his father is on him. And I don’t think this would have helped. And he was doing so well before this. I’ve messed it all up for him.”
“I’ve got to say, Eliza. At first, I was skeptical about this guy. But when I saw how much you liked him, I started to change my mind. Then I met him at the party and I most definitely changed my mind. He’s not this bad guy that the media have made him out to be. He’s a good person. And he’s clearly smitten with you.”
I looked at Mae in surprise. So far everyone had been telling me to stay away from him. “You don’t think I should stay away from Ian?”
“Why would you do that? He saved your skin. I think he’s overreacting about you calling the cops, though.”
“I’m not sure he knows sometimes how to deal with his emotions,” I said.
Mae laughed. “That sounds like most guys I know. I have a feeling he just needs to clear his head. But I think he might need a bit of a helping hand. A push in the right direction.”
“What do you mean?”
Just then the waitress came by with our food and placed the waffles in front of us. We thanked her and waited for her to leave before continuing with the conversation.
“What I mean,” Mae said and then stabbed the waffle with her fork. “Is that you should probably go and talk to him.”
She put a forkful of the waffle in her mouth and groaned with pleasure.
I chuckled and did the same. “Oh wow. This is amazing. I like girls’ day.”
“Yeah, me too. Thanks, John,” Mae said.
“Thanks, John,” I agreed.
“So, you’ll go and talk to him?”
“I think I will. I just need to figure out how. I’m not sure if just showing up at his home or work is going to do it. And I’m not even sure what to say.”
“Be yourself and be honest. And then let him decide what he wants to do. There’s only so much that you can say, but I think the two of you definitely at least need to talk it out.”
I smiled at Mae. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being the only person to truly listen to me.”
I felt good for the rest of the day. After the breakfast, we got our hair done, and then Mae insisted we get our nails done too after seeing how awful mine looked. Then we enjoyed a movie together and topped it off with lunch. Considering how upset I had been when the day started, it ended up being one of the best days of my life. And I was glad to finally have a plan. I was going to speak to Ian. I was going to make things better.
That night, I lay in bed while the cogs turned in my brain. There must be a way to talk to him without going to his house or his work. There must be . . . .
And suddenly, I knew what I was going to do.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ian
It was another night without sleep for me. Another night where I tossed and turned over and over again. The thoughts kept milling about in my brain. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to see Eliza again. She wasn’t in the wrong, and I shouldn’t have gotten so upset. But now I was worried that I had ruined everything by being so hasty so quickly. Why did I have to react like that? She probably hated me now. And if she spoke to anyone about what was in the newspaper, they would more than likely be telling her to stay away from me. It was the price I paid for joining a club with a bad reputation, and I had always been okay with that decision. But now I wasn’t so sure. I didn’t even know if I wanted to be in the club anymore, especially now that Patriot was in charge over me. I wasn’t sure if I could bear the humiliation.
I spent the rest of the day walking around like a zombie. Sometimes I tried to get back into bed, and every now and again I would feel myself dozing off. But then I’d wake up again and remember why it was that I couldn’t sleep to begin with. It was incredibly frustrating. Now, it was the afternoon, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my day. I needed to clear my head. So I did what I always did when I was feeling down: I climbed onto my bike and went for a ride.
I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I soon found myself riding toward the spot where I had taking Eliza that very first time. I hadn’t even realized I was there until I stopped my bike and got off. I loved that spot. I loved it mostly because nobody else seemed to know about it. It was the perfect clearing to sit and think for a while. I got off the bike and started walking, but I immediately saw that I was wrong. Someone had found out about this place. Up ahead, in exactly the spot I was heading to, was someone who from afar looked like a woman. I was just about to turn around and get back on my bike when the woman started to look more familiar to me. I took a few more steps and squinted. The sun was shining in my face, and I was battling to see. But it didn’t take long for me to finally figure out that it was Eliza. And she’d spotted me too. She stood up and turned toward me, and I felt my heart rate increase as I walked toward her.
Eliza was wearing a yellow sundress, with a big straw hat. She looked ridiculous and beautiful all at once. I looked down at her little white sneakers and smiled.
“Hey, Lashes,” I said.
She smiled. “I was hoping you’d be here.”
“Really?”
She sat down and patted the ground next to her for me to join. I sat down and faced her. I’d forgotten how beautiful she was. And as the suns’ rays hit her face, she looked like an angel.
“Yeah,” she said. She was playing with a blade of grass, looking at it instead of looking at me. “I wanted to talk to you, but I was scared that if I went to your work or home that you wouldn’t let me in. I knew you came here when you needed to clear your head.”
“How did you know I was coming today?” I asked.
“I didn’t. I was planning on coming every day in the hope that one day you’d come. And here you are. On the first day.”
“Here I am.”
“Ian, I’m sorry about everything. I feel so awful about what I did. It was just my immediate reaction to call the cops. And I know that I ruined everything for you. I cannot believe what the media did. I called them, by the way, but it didn’t seem to get anywhere.”
I smiled. “You called them? That’s nice of you. Yeah, they’re sharks. Trust me, I’ve been through all of this before. And I’m sorry for getting so mad at you. It wasn’t your fault that they did that. You didn’t know how hungry they’ve always been to come after the club. It’s not the first time that one of the members has been in the paper for reasons that were untrue. The only reason I got so angry is because we’ve been trying to sort out our reputation for so long. But that’s not your fault. Anyway, I blame Raymond.”
Eliza chuckled slightly. “I blame him too. Thanks for sticking up for me, by the way.”
“Has he called again?” It was the one question I’d been dying to ask Eliza the whole week. I wasn’t sure if I had frightened Raymond away or if I had just added fuel to his fire.
She shook her head. “No. I think you scared him for life.”
“Good. I also punched him in those pearly white teeth so that he couldn’t use them to charm any more people.”
Eliza laughed. “Thank you for that. I still can’t believe he came to the party like that. I don’t even know how he knew about it. What an idiot. I sometimes can’t believe I was ever with him.”
“He really is an idiot. I’m glad you’re through with him. And I’m sorry for messing up your party.”
“Nah, you didn’t. To be honest, not many people knew about it. Most people were still inside at the time. And thankfully the paper didn’t mention the party at all. My boss didn’t even know.”
“Did you tell him?”
“Yeah, I was worried about him finding out through the papers. I mean, the party wasn’t mentioned, and neither was I. But you were, and he knew that you were at the party. But he was cool about it. He really liked you. So did Mae. They were totally on your side, by the way.”
“They were?” That was a surprise to me. I wasn’t used to having people on my side. And even though John and I were completely different in many ways, I had liked him too.
“Yeah. Actually, it was Mae who suggested I go and talk to you. I think she knows I’m miserable without you. I’ve been moping around all week like a sad puppy.”
“You were? I was worried that you might have seen a side to me that you didn’t like. I’ve been worried about that all week, actually. It’s why I haven’t been in touch with you. I figured you didn’t want to see me again.”
“You think I saw a different side to you because you hit a guy that has been harassing me for ages? I don’t think that exactly counts as you being violent. John told me that he would’ve also punched him. Hell, I wanted to punch him. He was asking for it. I still think you’re the sweetest guy in the whole world.”
I smiled at her. The sun was starting to set, and a cool breeze was blowing through Eliza’s hair. Her hat had fallen to the ground after she’d tilted her head back to laugh, and she hadn’t put it back on. Her hair was long and silky and smooth. I didn’t need the sun. With Eliza’s bright-yellow dress and beautiful shining blue eyes, it was all the sun I needed.
“You stole my spot, you know,” I teased.
“Since when was this your spot?”
“Oh, I claimed it a long time ago.”
“You did? Well, you’re going to have to work very hard to get me away from here.”
“Is that a challenge?” I asked.
Her eyes shone brightly at me as she laughed. “It’s a challenge, Gunner.”
I looked at her in surprise. She was looking at me with so much intensity that I was taken aback. She licked her lips.
“Gunner, is it?”
“Yeah, you’re Gunner right now.”
I looked at her sundress blowing in the breeze, and leaned in. I was more than happy to be Gunner again.