Page 25 of Chasing Elliott
“Elliott wanted me to talk to you,” he started to tell me slowly. “She says she’s not readyfor a relationship and Kara asked me to make sure you don’t try and push that.”
“I’m not pushing a relationship,” I informed him, crossing my ankles as I leaned all the way back in the zerogravity chair. “I’m just trying to get her to see how amazing I am and howhappy I can make her, so she’ll decide on her own that she wants a relationship.”
Benjamin stared at me with a contorted face before shaking his head. “Pretty much thesame thing there, Coop.”
Before I had the chance to retort, someone suddenly fell into my lap. Startled, I glanced down and scowled as I saw Laura twirling her extension ridden hair around her finger. Benjamin jumped up and grabbed her hand, yanking her off me before I had the chance to push her away.
“Okay, calm down, lumberjack,” Laura snapped at Benjamin as she ripped her arm out of his grasp before resting her hands on her hips. “I come in peace. In fact, I come with information.”
“Not interested,” I told her bluntly as I turned my attention towards Benjamin who had sat back down.
Laura turned her entire body toward me, raising a brow in my direction. “Are you sure?Even if it concerns your precious Elliott?”
I turned to her with narrowed eyes, growing more annoyed with her by the minute. Benjamin audibly groaned as he threw his head back against the chair.
“When will you let it go, Laura?” He snapped, speaking so I didn’t have to. “He’s not interested anymore. He’s moved on, I think it’s time you should, too.”
“This doesn’t concern you, Ben,” Laura retorted as she crossed her arms over her chest.
She suddenly reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, extending it out towards me. Rolling my eyes, I knew the quicker I obliged, thesooner she’d leave.
I narrowed my eyes on the picture and zoomed in, my face growing slightly heated as I noticed what I was looking at: a photo of Johnathan leaving Elliott and Kara’s house with a timestamp of this afternoon. I took a deep breath through my nose, trying to stifle my frustration and not let Laura see that she had gotten to me.
“Have a good night, Laura,” I said simply as I handed her phone back to her beforepicking up my beer and taking a swig. I felt a presence behind me followed by a hand resting on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw Elliott standing there with an irritated expression as she stared down Laura.
“What’s going on here?” She asked as she kept her eyes on Laura. Kara slowly walked over to sit on Benjamin’s lap, a nervous expression covering her features.
“Oh, nothing,” Laura tried to say nonchalantly, an evil smile plastered on her face. “Justshowing Cooper here your little bootycall you had earlier this afternoon with Johnathan.”
Elliott caught me off guard as she burst out laughing and shook her head before she sat down on the armrest of my chair and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I rested my freehand on her thigh, trying to put on a show of a united front even though I was bothered by what Isaw.
“Look, Laura, you really need to stop stalking me and focus on your own life,” Elliott started to say as she put her free hand over the top of mine that was resting on her thigh. “I know we have this feud but it’s not exactly my fault, okay? I didn’t know. Besides, who I sleep with doesn’t matter. Cooper and I are just friends. So, a word of advice? Let it go.”
“You really mean to tell me that her sleeping with other people, especially Johnathan, doesn’t bother you?”
I sucked in a breath, not enjoying what feelings hearing his name brought me. Nonetheless, I refused to say what I wanted and instead said what I needed to. “Like she said, Laura, we’re just friends which means I’ll always have her back.”
Elliott looked at me with a smile, yet I could see the conflict flashing behind her eyes. I tried to give her a reassuring smile, but I knew it faltered by the way her own smile disappeared.
“Look, honey,” Elliott started to say as she turned her focus back on Laura. “I don’t know why you seem to be so obsessed with Cooper, but I think it’s time you let it go. He’s clearly not interested.”
Laura risked one last glance at me, but I knew my expression wasn’t what she was looking for because she stormed off. I sighed and rolled my eyes as Elliott turned to face me once more.
“I need to take a walk,” I informed her before she could utter a word.
Elliott arched a brow but nodded and slowly climbed off my lap. I wasted no time in jumping to my feet and heading deeper into the backyard, away from prying eyes and ears.
Truth is, I was fuming. I knew that Elliott didn’t want a relationship, that much was obvious, and I knew it was a long shot for me to try and convince her otherwise, but I thought Iwas getting somewhere. I mean, the way she acted with me, I had thought we were getting to apoint where I could start taking it up a notch. Instead, I got the biggest slap in the face I could get.
Not only was she still sleeping with other guys, it was none other than Johnathan Veers.
“Okay, what the hell was that back there?” I heard Elliott say from behind me. I spun around and saw her standing a couple feet away with her arms folded over her chest.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was supposed to be perfectly okay with you sleeping with other guys.”
Elliott let out a surprised laugh, her eyes growing large as she stared at me. “I’m sorry, I think I misunderstood you. It sounds to me like you’re upset about something you have zero control over.”
“If you really expect me to not be mad that you slept with someone else, then you’remore selfish than I thought,” I fired back, a sharpness to my tone that even took me by surprise. Iknew I was in the wrong here, I realistically had no right. But this felt personal, and I couldn’t stop myself from being angry.
