Chapter 03: What a Bastard!

ELLIE

God! What a bastard! He had to be joking.

“Of course, it’s a no! Absolutely not.” I declared, feeling a mix of anger and frustration. “Good night!” I snarled, rolling my eyes as I walked past him.

What an asshole.

Back in the living room, I grabbed my bag from a side table.

“I’m leaving. Thanks for tonight. Love you guys,” I said, heading towards the door.

“Is everything okay?” Anna asked, standing up.

I turned, seeing Ethan return from the kitchen.

“Of course, see you tomorrow.” I forced a smile at the group sitting on the couch before heading out the door.

✽

I woke up around eight, much earlier than planned. I really hated waking up before ten on a Sunday. The thought reminded me of the conversation with the bastard last night.

The asshole had the nerve to ask me to have sex after two minutes of conversation. Unbelievable! All that beauty with character would be asking too much, Ellie. What a shame…

Still in bed, I sent a message to Anna, asking if she was still asleep. She replied right away, inviting me for breakfast. I remembered that Will was probably out running with the bastard. I really didn’t want to run into him.

After getting up, I took a shower and dressed for the late winter cold.

Anna lived just a few blocks away, which allowed me to walk over and visit her whenever possible. She had only been married for two years and had picked out the apartment with Will. I was extremely happy to have my best friend living nearby.

She opened the door as soon as I knocked, wearing a sweatsuit.

“It’s fucking cold out there, isn’t it?” She asked, taking my coat.

After hanging it up, she came back to hug me.

“You have no idea.”

“Will’s crazy to run during winter mornings.”

“And yet you still married him.”

“What’s a little craziness compared to those rock-hard abs?” She winked.

“You’re right, as always.”

“I’ll get the hot chocolate. Want cookies or something else?”

“Cake?”

“Yes. Chocolate? Will made a delicious one yesterday morning.”

“Please! Besides the rock-hard abs, the man cooks! God! Who do I need to make a deal with to get one of those?” I threw myself onto the couch, crossing one leg over the other. She laughed from the adjoining kitchen while preparing a tray. “This apartment seems more beautiful every time I come here.”

“Thank you. Here you go.” She said, placing the tray between us on the couch. “Now tell me why you ran out last night. We tried to get it out of Ethan, but he said nothing happened, and I know that’s a lie, I saw the way you looked at him before you left.”

“He just thought it was a good idea to ask me to have sex after two minutes of conversation.”

“He said he wanted to have sex with you?” She widened her eyes.

“It seemed to me that he had nothing better to do and thought I was available.”

“Or he thought you were hot and really wanted to have sex with you. Didn’t you think about accepting for even a second?”

“What? Of course not.”

I really hadn’t thought about it. Even though he was one of the most attractive men I’d ever met.

“You know… the man is…”

“A complete asshole!”

“Very hot.”

“Anna!” I scolded her.

“He is, but I know that’s not what you’re looking for.”

“I’m not looking for anything, I just know what I don’t want.”

“I know. I know. But it’s hard to believe you didn’t consider the idea for a second.”

“No. Not for a second. He was a complete jerk, he knows nothing about me.”

“You don’t find him attractive?”

Damn, she was making me think about him, something I was trying to avoid at all costs, but the image was quite clear in my mind.

“Why are you asking that when I’m telling you he acted like a bastard?”

“If he had made the offer after getting to know you better, would you have thought about accepting it?”

“That’s out of the question.”

“I see. You do find him very attractive.”

“This is ridiculous! Let’s change the subject.”

✽

I turned the corner and almost turned back if Will hadn’t spotted me as soon as I took a step. They were coming back from their run, dressed in heavy sweats and beanies.

Shit. Be polite, it’s simple.

“Looks like my wife’s already up,” Will said, stopping in front of me on the sidewalk before hugging me, making me stretch. “Good morning, El.”

“Good morning. We had breakfast together. Your cake was delicious.”

“Glad you liked it. I’ll make one, especially for you. I think I managed to teach Ethan a lesson at least.”

“What? I’m fine.” Ethan said from behind Will.

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