Ruined (completed) ✔️

14.

As I continue to stare at Eliza I don't see Ronnie approach me. He claps me on the back and says. "Stay away from my sister-in-law. We don't need you causing problems."

I'm not going to cause problems for her.

Looking him in the eyes I say. "I have no intentions, causing problems for her and the family. You know once I was considered family to them."

"That was until you moved away for university and stopped calling her after a couple of months. You didn't have the guts to break up with her yourself. You just disconnected from her and never spoke to her again. She doesn't need you to do that or something worse again. Besides, your girlfriend won't be too happy if you rekindle something behind her back."

Watching Eliza I say. "Whatever I do behind Casey's back is up to me. She doesn't need to know everything."

Ronnie shakes his head. "Casey has friends that have come here and I wouldn't be surprised if they report back to her."

I don't care if they report back to her.

An alarm goes off alerting us to dinner. We walk over to the dining room and all our names are placed on cards around the tables.

Mischa walks over to me and says. "I have a separate table for you. Please, follow me."

I follow her to a table at the back that reserved for people that weren't invited. "Why am I sitting here? I thought you would have put me close to some of my friends."

"No," she places her hand on my arm. "You're sitting next to Eliza and at the table with her gate crashing family. We all know how her siblings get into this place. Someone usually lets them in. This time I have a feeling it was you."

It wasn't me that let them in. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Eliza. She knows her way around a club and where the side door entrance is.

Eliza and her siblings walk over to the table in the back corner.

Ronnie is laughing at something his wife said. "Yeah, I can't believe that either."

Walking over to the table I sit next to Eliza and everyone becomes quiet. I look around the table and every member of her family. "What?"

Kat points over to a table where my old teammates are sitting. "Why didn't they sit you with the football jocks. That's where you were when you were in high school."

Ronnie clears his throat. "I was in the same group. They put me here because I'm married to Nina. Someone may have made them believe that you were still with..."

Eliza cuts him off. "Shut up, Ronnie. No one believes that the two of us are together. It was a long time ago since that happened. I'm trying to move forward. You all seem to stuck in my past." She pushes her seat out and walks away from the table.

Kat whispers something to her and then follows her sister.

The table to quiet for a moment before I say. "I'm going to find somewhere else to eat. Have a good night." Standing up I walk over to a table that holds a few people from the high school football team on it. "Hey, guys."

"Austin, it's good to see you, man," Jerome says. Holding out his hand to me he adds. "I haven't heard much about you since you stopped playing ball. What are you doing now?"

"I'm a lawyer for one of the top law firms in the city," I say, proud of my accomplishments.

Why shouldn't I gloat about the stuff in my life? I know a lot of people are going to be doing the same tonight too.

A smile spread across Briana's face and she says. "That's impressive. I never thought you'd get a job like that. You always got B's in high school."

Of course, she'd remember what we got from high school. She used to pry into all our business and it looks like she's still doing that.

"What about you, Bri. What are you up to?"

I'm very interested in knowing what she's been up to since leaving high school. I don't keep up to date with what everyone from our graduating class got up to after leaving school.

She flips her hair over her shoulder and she shows her white teeth off. "I'm a model for Tommy Hilfiger. I've also been taking lessons with being a photographer. I have a few friends that are teaching me how to photograph people and plants. It's a fun experience to have."

Jaimie leans across the table. "Can you take some pictures of me? I want this surprise my fiancé and with something special."

A smile spreads across her face. "I would love that. I know a great spot that we can use tomorrow if you're free?"

"Sure," they exchange phone numbers.

Turning back to the table I left I see Kat wall over to them and she doesn't look happy. She slams her hands on the table and yells. "How could you do this to your sister?"

Everyone in the room turns there attention to the table and try to eves-drop on the conversation.

"What the hell are you all looking at. Just enjoy the meal and pretend we're not here."

Briana snorts and whispers. "How can we do that? When she is talking loudly. Who is she, anyway? I don't remember her being in our class."

"She came here with Ronnie and the rest are Eliza's family," Jaimie says.

Briana looks at me. "You're Eliza?"

She's not mine anymore.

Shaking my head I say. "She's not my Eliza and hasn't been for a long time."

"You still love her." How can she tell that I still love, Eliza? "I could tell by the way you were looking at her when you arrived tonight. Go and find her. Make sure this time you don't let her go."

"I have a fiancé I can't do anything like that behind her back."

Briana looks me in the eyes. "Tell me that your fiancé more than you loved, Eliza."

I know I can't do that.

My feelings for Eliza never went away. I just had to do what I did to survive in the city. I knew Eliza would never give up moving away from her mother for anything and I would never have moved back home to be there for her.

That's why all those years ago I stopped responding to Eliza's messages. I didn't want to continue giving her mixed signals. It was cruel for me to do that any longer to her.

I'm going to look for her.

Moving away from the table I make my way over to Kat.

She looks up from her dinner. "Where is she?"

"She went home."

I think going home was code for her going down to the lake. Like we did when were growing up.

"Please, don't go after her, Austin. Especially, if you don't mean what you're going to say." Kat says, looking conflicted about telling me that.

I'm going after her because that's what I want and no one is going to stop me from getting what I want. Especially, Kat.