Page 43 of My Bully's Crush: Vol1
“I wouldn’t hang up if I were you.And no, this is not about a modeling job.This is about all the work you’ve been doing against Elena.Your payment day is here.”
“Who are you?How did you get this number, you little bitch?”
“Keep watching.”
The line went dead as a cold shiver ran down my spine.I’ve had threats before.There are a lot of stupid little bitches dreaming about being with my husband, but this one sounded different.And none had ever come through on my private line.
I was about to switch back over to the girls, but a notification went off on my phone, and when I saw the picture in the thumbnail, I froze.What?
Chapter 27
*Elena*
Why was I so worried about doing this, and why did it take me so long?I had a blast.Well, except for the paparazzi that came out in droves.Tonight, they kinda reminded me of the hyenas that were after Mufasa’s body.I tend to get a bit over dramatic when I’m pressed.
True to his word, Evan was the perfect gentleman, and he seemed genuinely happy with my company.We laughed, we talked, we shared cute little stories, and by the end of it, I was wondering why I couldn’t feel anything for him beyond the friendship I was willing to offer.
He’s such a nice guy, something of a rarity in this town, not to mention hot, but I couldn’t even dredge up a tingle for the poor guy.It’s like parts of me had gone numb, and others had stopped living altogether.But I did have fun, so much so that I reached for his hand to thank him as we left the establishment.
“Thanks, Evan.This was great.I had an awesome time.”Of course, the cameras caught that moment, and I almost panicked when I saw the flash go off and the questions start coming hard and fast.I think I froze for a minute until Evan squeezed my hand reassuringly.
It reminded me of when Ryder and I were dating.I couldn’t even have friends because the press and the public would make more out of it than was warranted.I was always in a constant state of self-defense, always explaining myself to set the record straight.That can get pretty tiring after a while.
I reminded myself for the umpteenth time that night that Ryder was no longer my problem, and I didn’t give a crap about what he thought or how he felt.I’m lying, of course; I’m lying to myself anyway.No one else needs to know the foolishness that is going on in my head.
Sometimes I wonder about myself.Now, there’s no way in hell I’d ever get back with him, especially not while he’s married, and I do want to have a life and a future, maybe some kids….No no no no, I brought myself back from that thought.It’s something I have yet to get over, the fact that due to the number the disease had done on my body, I may never have kids.
That blow was one of the hardest I’d had to face after the breakup because it came so close on the heels of the greatest betrayal of my life.It felt like the whole world was against me, and I could’ve lost my faith then and there, but thankfully I was able to get through it in the end.
Still, thinking that no one would want to be with me, would want to spend the rest of their life with me because I could never give them family, has haunted me from time to time.I sometimes feel like half a woman because of it because I’ve failed even in that.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t want companionship.Someone to hold my hand when I’m scared and….“Where did you disappear to?”
“I’m sorry, what?”From the look on his face, I could tell that he’d been asking me something for at least a minute while I stared right through him.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I was…”
“No need to explain; I understand; I’ve been there before.A piece of advice, don’t let anyone tell you when you should stop missing him, okay.”I looked at him a bit dumbfounded, wondering what game he was playing, if any, but the sincerity of his words was written in his eyes.
“Thank you, Evan, thank you.”
He smiled and squeezed my hand before throwing his arm around my shoulders.“It’s still early, and I’m enjoying your company too much to let it end.Do you have something waiting for you at home?”
“No, actually, I don’t.”And I wasn’t ready to go back to the four walls of my bedroom just quite yet, either.
“Great, let’s go shoot some pool.”I looked down at the sexy little number I had on and back up at him.
“I’m not dressed for it.”I could feel the disappointment build in me.I wasn’t interested in having a romantic dalliance with him, but it’s rare to find someone to feel comfortable with, and I’d forgotten how much I missed that.
“What dress?You can shoot pool in anything.Say, do you want to invite your friends along?”
And that right there put me at ease.I took him up on his offer and called Sydney, Rachel, and some others.Even my aunt and uncle got an invite, which they readily accepted, and the evening became something more than I’d expected.
The next day I woke up feeling better than I had in ages and was actually looking forward to the day ahead.The night had done wonders for me, and I couldn’t wait to take Evan up on his offer to hang out again.It’s been a while since I’d been in such great company without having to worry about compromising my morals at the end of the night.
Since I’d locked myself away for so many years immediately after the debacle, once I started poking my head out again, it was as if every guy who ever knew me thought I was easy pickings, and all it took was a smile to get into my pants.I’d ignored all the messages and phone calls back then, but I had a feeling that since I’d gone and opened that door, the freaks were going to be up to their shit again.
I opened my phone and saw the million and one notifications and had to wonder if the paparazzi ever slept.There were thousands of comments under the images that had been published the night before, which meant the photos had been up for hours.