It's between me and you

Chapter 44

Leaning back in the car seat, Elena slid her indifferent gaze over the night city. Multicolored neon windows whizzed by, blurring into a streak of color just as her thoughts were now blurred. She didn't even know what she was more angry at - the fact that Andrew used this program to collect dirt on her, or the fact that he hadn't deleted it when everything seemed to be going well between them. Elena covered her eyes, trying not to think about anything and just calm down. She needed to look at the situation from all angles, except at the moment the only one she could see was her own.

A few minutes later the thought suddenly occurred to her that she had given Greg's address. After all, she had done it only to get away from Andrew as quickly as possible. And her ex's address was the first that came to mind, since the rest of her acquaintances were at the club. Only there was no desire to see the man now. And why should she? What would it change if she went to him? Nothing. Giving him a chance at something that would never happen? No, that would be foolish. So catching her eyes on the name of the first bar near the traffic light where the cab stopped, she asked:

"Excuse me, could you please drop me off in that parking lot?"

The middle-aged man was clearly unhappy with the sudden change of destination and did not fail to cluck loudly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Elena answered, ignoring the nagging tone.

She settled before she got out of the car and headed over to where the couple were just coming out, laughing loudly and stopping at every step to kiss.

The chilly wind climbed under the thin fabric of her dress, fluttered her hair. Her toes froze in just one minute, but the girl paid no attention. She was warmed by anger and incomprehension.

Taking a seat at one of the tables, Elena ordered two glasses of martini at once. She gulped down the first one, letting the sweet alcohol warm up her frozen body and at the same time relax her nerves, tingling with tension. The bartender looked at the visitor strangely, but she was not interested in other people's opinions.

Taking a few sips from the second glass, Elena rubbed her temples. Before her eyes flashed back to Andrew. The image of her beloved was a painful prick in her heart. She remembered everything he had said to her about half an hour ago. How ardently he had tried to convince her, to make her believe.

How eagerly he had tried to convey to her the reasons for keeping the ill-fated program, how he had lost his words... That was no way to play it. All his movements, his body language screamed that the guy was really at a loss. People like Ledger must be hard to accept changes in themselves, especially when they relate to feelings. Just the very fact that the man he loved and seemed to love all this time knew every step of the way was savage to a girl. Now what to do next? How to act? After all, the adoption of Kamilla is at stake, and Andrew is behaving like a jealous boy, absolutely no thought of the consequences, capable of becoming for Elena catastrophic and fatal.

She did not want to realize and, more importantly, to accept the idea that they would not be able to be together. In spite of everything, in one way or another, Andrew showed himself to be quite a mature young man. Not in every one of his actions, but still. But, hell, how to trust this guy now after everything, Elena still did not know. Yesterday the program, and tomorrow what? Will she get a special bodyguard to watch over her all the time?

Elena sighed and looked around. A boy and a girl were sitting in the corner, cooing and hugging and kissing. She wished it were that simple for her, too. No secrets, no problems, no responsibility. But, as the saying goes, life often trips us up where you least expect it.

Having finished the second glass of martini, Elena was about to call Ira, when she remembered that on emotion she threw the phone out the window. Shit. Although if she hadn't, Andrew would have been here long ago.