Page 98 of Chasing You

“For the auction,” Isla says.

“You’re doing the auction?” Irrational feelings of jealousy spear through me at the thought of Miles going on a date with someone else. I know it’s for charity, but my heart doesn’t seem to think it makes a difference.

“Not by my own choice,” he says, his eyes pleading with me to understand. Which I do, I’m entirely aware of how persuasive Isla can be when she wants to be.

“Let’s go,” she says before quickly disappearing into the crowd, Miles right on her tail. But he looks back, mouthing a quicksorrybefore he’s swallowed up by the sea people surrounding the stage.

I watch from behind the bar as Leo walks across the stage, selling himself to the crowd as women bid on him. He flaunts his charm like it’s him who’s getting the proceeds.

Isla set up this whole auction thing last year for a fundraiser to save Nora’s art studio, and Caio liked how much attention it brought to the fundraiser, so he decided to do it again this year. Today’s cause is the town library that needs a renovation.

Aria, the owner of the small bookstore in town, was talking to May about how the library has been in desperate need of a helping hand for a few years now. May went straight to Caio, and it’s safe to say she can be pretty convincing as well.

But with Rafael and May being infatuated with each other, there’s only Leo, Heath, and Miles who are auctioning off a date with themselves this year. I can see why they needed Miles, it would’ve been a little bit lame with only Heath and Leo—no offence to them. But when Miles walks onto that stage with a little swagger in his step, I can’t help but be furious that someone else is about to buy a date with him.

“You know you could make a bid yourself.” May sidles up to the bar, leaning her elbows on the top as she watches the stage. Turning to look over her shoulder at me when I don’t reply.

“I don’t have any spare cash lying around, unfortunately,” I say after a moment.

“I don’t think you’d need to pay to get that man to go on a date with you,” she says, her eyebrows raised with intention.

“Maybe not,” I say, knowing full well it’s the truth. We’ve been on multiple dates lately, even if that's not what we are calling them. “But someone else is about to.”

Paddles fly into the air as people call out prices, bidding higher and higher with every minute.

“You still holding out on him?”

My mouth pops open. “I’m not holding out on him, May, I’m just…figuring everything out.”

“I know he hurt you in the past,” she says, turning around to face me, her eyes earnest. “But I don’t think he’d be standing up there, staring straight at you while a gaggle of women splash their cash for a date with him if he wasn’t serious about getting you back.”

I can’t argue with her, not while my eyes are locked on the deep forest across the room. He’s done so many things to prove to me that he’s serious about getting me back. Setting up an entire outdoor cinema and screening one of my favorite movies, opening up to me under the stars, sitting with me in the doctor's office, and holding my hand while I made the decision to go on birth control.

Miles has shown up for me over and over again, to the point where I can’t deny it anymore.

“He wouldn’t be telling your friends just how important you are to him if he was planning on doing a runner. I think he knows just how easily Leo would find him and put him straight back into the hospital.” I just shake my head, knowing how true that is. “He’s trying, Marina.”

“Sold!” Caio’s voice rings through the air. “To paddle number sixty-nine!”

May snorts. “Well, that’s ironic.”

We both watch as a woman with shiny brown hair runs up the stairs of the stage, bombarding Miles with a hug that says she has ideas about their date tonight. It makes me feel sick.

My eyes track them as she leads him down the side of the ballroom, heading straight for the elevators.

“You just gonna let him go? Or are you gonna go claim your man?” May says, wiggling her eyebrows at me in a completely May fashion.

I watch as Miles flashes a smile at his date, and I can see the blush on her cheeks from all the way over here. I hate her.

“Fuck it.” I unwrap my apron from around my waist and throw it behind the bar as I pass May. “Watch the bar!”

I nearly trip as I speed-walk towards the elevator whose doors just opened. I watch as Miles steps into it, the brunette hanging off his arm. I quicken my steps and fluff my hair before I slide in through the closing doors. My chest puffs as both of them stare at me.

“Marina,” Miles says, his eyes glittering with curiosity.

“Hi,” I say to neither one of them in particular. I fan myself with my hand. “God, it was getting hot in there, wasn’t it?” I blow out a breath. “I needed a moment’s break. I was beginning to feel a little bit ill.” I hold a hand to my stomach.

I watch the woman as she looks at me with concern as the elevator jolts into motion.

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