Chapter 19
It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Just when Caleb tries to find Evelyn again, she’s nowhere in sight-not by the dim corner lights or anywhere else.
Caleb tried to squash the itch to run after her, feeling a drop in his gut as Evelyn, in that eye-catching red skirt, vanished into thin air along with the tune change. A swell of annoyance hit him when Ava showed up. With a pinch of impatience, he asked. “Avy, why are you even here?”
Ava had caught a glimpse of Caleb’s intense stare at Evelyn.
Caleb might not have even realized how terrifying his gaze was at that moment; it was a dissatisfaction of feeling his possessions being peeped at by others, his eyes filled with a desire to possess that woman.
She was worried that spark might reignite, sparking trouble. Plus she was done with other guys hitting on her, so she grabbed Caleb before he could make a beeline for Evelyn.
Keeping her head-down, hiding the green-eyed monster lurking in her eyes, she batted those lashes and played the damsel “Caleb, did you forget? I told you I snagged a movie role here in Irinland a few days back. I got wind you were also in Irinland and… I thought, maybe. Her voice shakes, tears on the runway. “I was hoping you’d come find me, but then….
then…
Caleb took a look around the wild bar, ticked off; Evelyn’s clearly skipped out. He had no clue she’d be here. Since they split, he didn’t keep tabs on her, figuring she was back home. He was in Irinland strictly for some big-shot business deal, not for fun. And with Ava nudging him toward putting a ring on it, he was craving a break and said yes to a buddy’s bar opening
invite in Chinowa Town.
Little did he expect to bump into Evelyn. He snapped in his heart, “Does she have fun abroad? I’ve never seen this side of her. Guess she lives exceptionally well without me, huh? How dare she say she loves me? Liar’
“Caleb… Ava noticed Caleb had checked out again. She was getting antsy but didn’t let it show. Instead, she cozied up to his arm and gave it a light shake.
Feeling her tug, Caleb snapped back to reality with a sigh. “You’re famous, Ava. You can’t just pop into any old place. Let’s get out of here. There’s a business party in a couple of days-come with me.”
Ava’s heart did a little dance-this was the first time Caleb had asked her to anything like this. Was he finally ready to make them official? Sure, people knew they were a thing, but Caleb hadn’t made a big deal out of it. She nodded like a good student, then they said their ‘see ya’ to his friends and headed out.
Outside, Caleb looked around, clearly bummed out. Even in a tiny place, finding someone was like looking for a needle in a haystack. She had to be somewhere close if he’d just run into her by chance.
“Mr. Mercer, you wanna crash here or roll back to Romaine downtown?”
“Go back to Romaine downtown!” Ava jumped in before Caleb could answer. She caught his poker face and fell wobbly inside. Leaning in, her voice soft as a marshmallow, she said, “With everyone knowing my face, it’s not the best idea to stay here. Back to Romaine, okay?”
Caleb sized her up before he finally nodded and flicked a hand at the driver.