Chapter 7

7

WILL

My gaze falls across the skyline while I stand beside the window of the hotel room.

I’ve barely touched the Scotch I’ve been nursing for the last hour. It’s unusual for me to procrastinate with an expensive liquor designed to be consumed, but something is holding me back.

Friday night in New York City is anything but quiet. It’s everyone’s chance to socialize, dine and dance, drink and be merry. Cabs drive past carrying passengers, and patrons stand around in lines waiting to be served. There is noise everywhere, but after a while, it all drowns out and becomes part of the usual nightlife.

Alone, inside this hotel room, my choice to stay here is deliberate. My emotions are wreaking havoc, a cyclone of impure thoughts after seeing her tonight. It would have been easy to drown out the pain buried between another woman’s legs, but I know my triggers too well. Halfway through, I’ll remember how my body craves someone else, and my sudden distaste for the woman beneath me will call off any chances for a happy ending.

I’m my own worst enemy.

The second option is to drink myself into a stupor. But as I try that, I’m failing miserably.

Why does this get to me so much? Amelia’s choice of him out of all men she could have chosen to settle down with. And seeing her again, it’s fucked with everything I thought I could control in my life. My mission was to come back here and win her back. But I doubt my capabilities, insecure about what we once had. Tonight, seeing her, she didn’t seem as invested in our past as I am. Maybe that’s my problem. I’m so hung up on the past and what we were.

Then, my mind drifts to Lex. I cannot understand how or why he would give his blessing. She’s way too young, and he knows that. What possible reason could he have to allow such a mistake?

Maybe it’s you. He loathes you that much and would instead allow her to marry someone else, just as long as it isn’t the man who disrespected the great Lex Edwards.

I would not put it past him.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I retrieve it to read the message on my screen.

Unknown:Just because you haven’t forgotten doesn’t change anything.

I reread the message. It has to be Amelia even though the number is unknown to me, assuming she changed it over the years. My number has remained the same; too many business associates contact me on this number.

My feet begin to move on their own accord, pacing the area in front of the window with my fist pressed against my lips. What is her purpose for sending me this message? Did she enjoy hurting me or watching me suffer? Amelia held all the cards, a dangerous position to be in because with just one move—she can crush me.

Or maybe she already has.

Beneath my collared shirt, I begin to sweat. My skin feels incredibly hot, forcing me to remove my tie to be able to breathe normally. I head straight for the bathroom to notice a visible flush on my face and neck. Turning the faucet onto cold, I splash the water over my skin to cool myself down and gain some sort of control.

I think about replying but decide against it. Today was too much, and whatever I say may cause more harm than good.

My phone beeps again. This time it’s a text from Andy.

Andy:Ignore anything from Millie. She’s drunk AF.

My hands type quickly, hitting send as I begin to worry about Amelia’s safety. The last time she got drunk, men were trying to take advantage of her all over the dancefloor. She was god damn lucky I came when I did.

Me:Where is she???

Andy:I can’t remember. Somewhere near a building.

What kind of a fucking response is that? I check Andy’s Insta account, in which he posted a few stories. Nothing looks familiar, just uploads of drinks and a few girls—none of them being Amelia.

Fucking hell. How dare they both drop this on me and assume I’ll sit here and do absolutely nothing. I call Ava, but the phone rings for a while until she finally answers.

“Hello, Will?”

“Ava, where are Amelia and Andy?”

“No, hello? How are you? It’s been a while,” she points out with a trace of sarcasm. “How would I know? I’m not their keeper.”

“I don’t have time to play games.”

“Will, until two seconds ago, I didn’t even know you were hanging out with Millie again. Can you give me a moment to process all this?”

I bite my tongue, ready to give this girl a stern warning.

“Look, I’ll text Millie now and see if she tells me where she is.”

The line goes quiet bar the sound of keys typing. “So, while we wait, how have you been?”

“Fine,” is all I say.

“Really, fine?” Ava questions in a condescending tone. “The girl you love is getting married to another man. At what point are you fine?”

“Ava,” I grumble, closing my eyes to draw any patience left within me. “Cut the small talk. Has she texted back?”

“Hmmm, yeah, something about a sports bar, and…” she trails off, then continues. “I can’t make out what she is saying.”

“You’re not helping at all,” I almost bark. “C’mon, you must know where she hangs out? You’re her sister, for Christ’s sake.”

“Yes, I am her sister with my own life, thank you very much,” Ava snaps, then releases a breath. “Look, there’s a sports bar right next to Andy’s studio. I’ll text you his address, maybe try there.”

“Thank you,” I mutter, about to hang up when she calls my name in a softer tone.

“Will, Millie moved on. Austin is a great guy. I’m not sure why she felt compelled to hide your union from me, but I will say it probably has everything to do with Dad.”

“No, Ava.” I sigh, allowing my shoulders to fall. “We accidentally ran into each other at Mom’s office tonight. It was all a coincidence and possibly a shock for her as it was for me.”

“If that’s the case, then knowing Millie, it was a shock. Explains why she is wasted.”

“I should go make sure she is okay.”

“Will?” Ava calls again. “Don’t hate her, okay? It wasn’t easy when you left. In fact, Millie got into a car accident when she left your place that morning. Mom and Dad were called to the hospital. It was awful.”

“What do you mean she got into a car accident? Why didn’t anyone tell me?” I panic, unable to process what Ava is telling me. “I wouldn’t have boarded that flight.”

“Exactly why you were never told.” The call goes quiet, and I assume we’ve lost connection until Ava’s breathing echoes through the receiver. “It was a difficult time for our family. So, despite what you may think, that Millie moved on so easily, she didn’t, okay?”

My chest tightens as heaviness weighs it down, leaving me with nothing else to say. To think Amelia was injured in a car accident and to know that I had something to do with it—the guilt bears too much. I need to find her tonight, make sure she is okay. That’s all.

We hang up the phone, and within minutes, I am out on the street, hailing a cab since it’s late and I don’t want to wait for my driver. My car is parked beneath the hotel in the garage, but I didn’t need the nuisance of looking for a parking garage near the bar. That’s even if they are at the bar Ava mentioned.

Fifteen minutes later, I enter the crowded place and see Amelia at the bar with two unknown men surrounding her. She’s throwing her head back, laughing at some joke, oblivious the men are eyeing her like fucking candy.

My footsteps are heavy as I storm over, muttering beneath my breath, “De-Ja-Fucking-Vu.”

I grab the shot from her hand, pulling it away. “You need to stop.”

Amelia doesn’t appear disappointed to see me, yet her glassy eyes would have her anything but sober.

“Hey! Look who is it, William Romano—billionaire extraordinaire,” she slurs, pushing my chest.

Andy pulls up beside us, resting his hand on my shoulder while chuckling. “I told you to ignore Millie’s text. But since you’re here, join us. The more, the merrier.”

“How many has she had to drink?”

“I don’t know, man, she was pretty toasted when I got here,” Andy admits with a grin on his face like this is some god damn joke.

What the fuck is wrong with these two? Just like when they were kids, always getting up to no good.

“What about you?” I berate Andy, trying to ignore how Amelia is touching my arm now. “How much have you had to drink?”

Andy shrugs his shoulder. “Dunno, she made me drink.”

“What?” Amelia laughs loosely. “I did nothing of the sort.”

Andy is pulled to the dancefloor by some girl dressed in a short white dress. She appears to have some friends with her, and they all tag team him in which he seems to enjoy.

My attention moves back to Amelia. She’s dressed in the same attire as earlier in the evening, only her perfectly pinned back ponytail has some loose ends sticking out. My eyes gravitate toward her neck, admiring her skin and wondering if she tasted the same. I shake my head to rid myself of the thoughts, refusing to take advantage because of my own selfish needs.

“I mean it, you need to stop,” I warn her, still holding onto her drink.

“Can I have my drink back? It’s a fi..fire..ball,” she stumbles, only to giggle. “It tastes like donuts. Remember that morning when we ate donuts for breakfast, then you fucked me up the ass in the shower?”

Jesus Christ.I lower my head, ignoring the memory and how my dick hardens at the very mention. She means none of this, and she’s not thinking at all.

Don’t let her actions or words get to you.

I motion for the bartender to stop serving her and throw back the shot, letting it burn. The cinnamon tastes rather sweet, unlike the usual smoky liquor I drink.

“You drank my fireball!”

“Yes, because you need to stop, okay?”

Amelia pouts her lips. “Why do you have to get all alpha on me? I’m a big girl, and so what if I’ve had a few. It’s been a long day.”

“It has been a long day, which is why I’m taking you home.”

“My home is so far away,” she tells me, letting out a sigh. Her softened expression quickly reverts to annoyance, her eyes narrowing while staring at me. “This is all your fault. You walk back into my life as if nothing happened, looking all sexy. And what’s with the glasses? Did you know there is an actual thing as glasses porn? Men who act in porn wearing suits and glasses. It’s a thing…Ava will tell you.”

I can’t help but be amused by the glasses comment. “C’mon, no more. Time to go.”

It dawns on me that I have no clue where she lives. I attempt to ask her, but all she says is something about campus and water—neither one of those clues helping me. Andy is just as wasted and neck deep into two women. There seems no other alternative than to take her back to my hotel room.

I grab Amelia’s hand, gripping tight, so she doesn’t do a runner on me, and interrupt Andy on the dancefloor.

“I’m going to get her out of here before she passes out,” I yell over the music. “Will you be okay?”

“This isn’t my first rodeo with her,” Andy chuckles, then moves his attention back to the brunette with the bouncy tits.

Transporting Amelia back to my hotel is more challenging than I thought. She struggles to walk, even after I make her drink some water before leaving the bar. By the time we get to the room, she becomes even more sloppy. My arm is wrapped around her waist to hold her up until we get closer to the bed.

“I’m going to lay you down, but you need to drink more water and take some Advil, okay?”

She throws her arms around my shoulders, staring into my eyes so intensely. Her gaze is penetrating, no words escaping her perfect mouth. The trance she is in begins to worry me; it’s more than a loving gaze. Amelia looks ready to pass out completely.

But then, she buries her face into my neck as she’d done many times before. A soft moan escapes her while I desperately ignore how right she feels. How much I want to place my lips onto hers and take back what used to be mine.

“You smell good,” Amelia murmurs, running her nose against the crook of my neck. “I can never forget.”

I take a deep breath, shutting my eyes tight to block out the voices telling me to strip her bare and lay her on this bed. Sliding my hands up to hers, I remove them and urge her to lay on the bed. She remains quiet, in and out of shutting her eyes until she’s flat and they fall entirely closed.

Slowly, I remove her shoes and place the blanket over her. The room begins to fill with the sound of her gentle snores.

As I sit in the chair watching her, I realize so much has changed yet nothing at all.

We are here, years later, living two different lives, but the feeling of longing, it’s still there, etched into me and a part of who I am.

I refuse to be second best, nor will I push her to choose me.

There should be no choice—end of the story.

And until she realizes that, I vow not to touch her.

No matter how impossible that may be.