Simulated Love (2024)

Chapter 14

Chase

"I did everything you told me to do. I was trying to be distant, and the date with Alejandro I told you about, he was there. I even held hands with him when we were walking out and nothing."

Fae hummed on the other line. "Maybe Elijah isn't into you, then. I expected him to have made a move by now. Especially since Alejandro stepped in."

"The thing is, he helped me get with him. Elijah helped me go on the date. I think he really does just see me as a friend, and it sucks."

"Yeah." She spoke again after a lengthy pause. "Maybe he's just not the romantic type like Mork."

"I guess." I sighed.

There was a knock at my door.

"Chase, you up?" Elijah asked.

"I got to go," I whispered to Fae before hanging up. "Yes. Come in."

Elijah came into my room with a white tank top and bunny-themed pajama pants. In his hands, he had two individually wrapped chocolate cakes.

"I brought a little gift for you." He tossed me one. "For all the hard work today in the office."

I smiled. "Thanks."

He sat at the end of the bed and ate his cake. "How are you and Alejandro? The date seemed to go pretty well yesterday."

"We're okay."

"Good."

I couldn't help but stare at his perfectly sculpted back. The lingering scent of his subtle cologne flew through the air, reaching me with its undeniable potency. I wish he was at the head of the bed, cuddling me with his arms, though.

"Hey, Elijah."

He turned to me. "What's up?"

"Why are you so against romance? Do you not plan on getting married to someone one day?"

He sighed. "I don't know. I was in a relationship previously for three years."

As he spoke, his voice quivered.

"I thought I was in love. I thought it was it, but he cheated on me."

He couldn't stop playing with the cake wrapper, desperate to avoid being overwhelmed by his emotions. Each crease and fold in the paper seemed to mirror the complexities of his shattered trust, a tangible representation of the scars left behind.

"Can you believe I only just found out he was fooling around with two other guys for a whole year? It felt like a punch in the gut. I trusted him completely because he swore he loved me and I believed him since I loved him too."

A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "I never questioned anything he did, but I should've. After that, I told myself that I wouldn't date again. Just the thought of giving my all and trusting someone with the fragile pieces of my heart is scary...I guess. The shit from my last relationship is a constant reminder to never trust someone blindly. The pain I went through totally messed up how I see love. Now I'm all confused."

"I understand that."

"I feel like I'm just better off alone, you know? I don't look for love anymore. If it comes to me, it comes to me, but I hope when it does, I'm ready."

"Does that mean you still believe in love then?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I believe in love through my stories." He turned to me. "Through our game. I will say working on this game with you has opened my heart a bit. I get butterflies reading over some of the scenes. I'm just starting to believe that love is a fantasy, you know? Something that isn't really real, but we want it to be."