Page 39 of The Man I Once Hated

But I don’t turn back. His reaction tells me everything I need to know and damn, it feels good to get one over on him for a change.

* * *

Outside Milton’sbar downtown the night air is thick and humid. Just a few yards away, there’s a guy with his back to me. One hand leaning against the sidewall of the alley by Mo’s Pizzeria, pants hanging loose in a very telling way, a stream of urine trickling out between his feet.

“Jesus,” I mumble under my breath and avert my gaze.

Of all nights, Edward insisted on this one to tag along with me. I don’t think he’s ever been to this part of town and I can only imagine the comments I’ll be getting once he arrives. I glance over my shoulder to check that Alex isn’t on stage yet - she isn’t. She and Zoey have just picked up another round of drinks.

My stomach twists uncomfortably. I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to play this with them. They’re still under the impression that it was a one-time thing with Edward. They have no idea that he’s showing up tonight.

“Well, isn’t this charming?”

I whirl around to find Edward standing right beside me, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. His eyes are fixed on the drunk guy in the alley.

“I know, right?” I chuckle lightly. “Don’t say I never take you anywhere nice.”

When he looks at me, his gray eyes are gleaming with the smile he’s wearing, tinged orange under the dim wash of the street lights. It’s arresting, to say the least.

He waves dismissively over his shoulder and his car pulls away, the Bentley painfully out of place in its current surroundings. Edward, however, has made some effort to blend in this time.

“I see you’ve dressed down for the occasion.” I give his cashmere sweater a light tug. It’s olive green and accentuates his eyes even more.

I can see his white t-shirt peeking out from the v-neck sweater, which he’s paired with nondescript blue jeans and brown leather loafers. It’s an effort to keep from poking more fun at his take on casual wear, but I do it only because he looks so damn good.

“How did I do?” he asks, holding out his arms for me to appraise him. “I know you said sneakers but…”

“You look great,” I smile up at him. “Upper middle class at best.”

Edward laughs, throwing his arm around my shoulders as he leads me to the door. “Shall we?”

There isn’t much change between the stifling air outside and the choke of stale smoke and whiskey inside Milton’s. I can’t help but be hyper aware of how strikingly different the place is from what Edward’s used to. Suave is a paradise destination compared to this hole.

Zoey’s been looking out for me, so our eyes meet almost the exact second Edward and I walk in. Her eyebrows shoot up in alarm and I notice her stealth attempts to get Alex’s attention. My other roommate, though, is still deep in her tirade about her long distance relationship when we get to the table.

“Oh,” is all she manages as she blinks up at us, her mouth drawn into a perfect circle.

“This is Edward,” I try to sound as normal as possible, hoping that we can leave it at that.

“Good evening, ladies.” Edward pulls out a chair for me and then sits down, choosing the spot with Zoey on his left.

“I didn’t realize it’s Bring a Billionaire to Open Mic Night,” Zoey quips, glaring at me.

She has every reason to be this way, of course. She’s still stuck in the memory of Edward being a complete asshole toward me and the theater. I thought once the check had cleared that things would settle down, but she’s done a good job of separating the good deed from the man where that’s concerned.

Edward laughs it off with his usual charm. “Sorry for crashing the party, but Cara can’t stop gushing about her roommates’ songwriting talent. I couldn’t resist.”

Alex softens immediately, gazing at me with puppy eyes. “Aw, Cara… You gush about me?”

“He’s exaggerating, but yeah, I may have mentioned you a couple of times.” I squeeze her shoulder, grateful that at least one of them isn’t in outright attack mode.

“What’s it to you?” Zoey’s chin is perched on her hands as she fixes Edward with a stern look.

“Excuse me?” he asks, his smile not wavering at all.

Zoey’s gaze flits between us before she continues. “How does Alex matter to you? It’s not like you and Cara are friends or anything.”

“Zo…” I begin to jump in with some kind of diffusion to the situation that I haven’t thought out yet.

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