Page 25 of Her Ruin

Do we?

It had takensomuch for me to text him. To eventhinkabout asking him foranything, and he replied with “Do we?”

God, I hated him sometimes. Most times, I was indifferent to him. But the more I knew he was in Gracemont, in my town, breathing my air…I could feel my resentment building. I also knew I was being irrational.

Do we?

I hadn’t answered last night. I’d put the phone down and tried to sleep, and I was sure I maybe got a few hours in between staring at the ceiling fuming and the time spent with my thumb hovering over the delete chat button.

In my office, my fingers tapped off my desk as I stared at my phone, debating how to respond. Every instinct told me not to engage, to find another way to fix the mess I was in. But logic—the cruel, undeniable reality of the situation—said otherwise.

My head told me to be rational.

My heart told me to stay away from him.

The delays at the hotel were stacking up. It was never supposed to be what it had turned into. Gerard had gotten excited, and I’d been caught up in his enthusiasm. Planning the renovation of the hotel had been intended to be a few rooms, not two floors. But I’d adjusted, I’d adapted, and I’d worked extra hard to get everything into my tight timeline.

And now…now the charity gala was inching towards disaster.

I didn’t have time to be stubborn. I didn’t have time to figure it out myself. Damn my head; it was always a louder voice than my heart. I took a deep breath, knowing I was being stupid. He’d replied, and that, in itself, was a miracle.

Yes. When are you free?

My foot tapped off the floor as I waited. And waited.

Threehours later, the reply came through.

9pm. Elixir.

Of course, it would be at his club. I tossed my phone onto my desk and pressed the heel of my hands against my eyes. My stomach was in knots at the very thought of seeing him again, not as my adversary but just…him. Going to himagainbecause I needed his help.

Fuck my life.

“What the hell will I wear?” It was a question of dread and anxiety. It was Thursday. Was it a clubbing night? Of course, it was a clubbing night. The clubs were open. Elixir was open.

I had clothes. I had clubbing clothes. Okay, I didnothave clubbing clothes. I had clothes that were suitable for evening attire. Looking down at my plain blouse and straight knee-length skirt, I sighed.

I called Julian. “Hey, it’s me.”

“I know.” I could hear his smile. “Caller ID is like a spoiler alert.”

“Or a warning.”

Julian laughed out loud. “What can I do for my favorite event planner?”

And I couldn’t tell him. The words stuck in my throat. If I told Julian, he would come with me and make Zayn help me. I knew he would. And if I told Julian, he would lecture me about how my own stubbornness had gotten me here.

I knew he would sayI told you so.

The guy was my best friend. He was as close as a brother, and just like a sibling, he would gloat that he was right. This was already bad enough.

Shit.

“Isla?”

“Yup. Yeah…” I cleared my throat. “A girl can’t call to say hi?” My eyes closed at the sound of my own fakeness.

“You call me to say hi every day,” he said, sounding amused. “But you’re about two hours early.”

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