Crazy Over You

📚 Chapter 41 📚

I started to play with the ring on my finger, the very one that James gifted me.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Elio?" I asked softly, exhausted by the events and just wanting to go home. My phone rang a few times but I ignored every single one.

"After sharing that, go right ahead."

I couldn't look at him. Not when my question is something I needed to know. Something that I needed to hear from him. I want to know from his perspective. What were his thoughts?

"Why did you do it?" I asked but he didn't answer, maybe due to confusion. "You and Emma saw us. Why did you kiss her when you knew James feelings for her?" I asked, looking at him now because there is no possible way he didn't know about James's feelings for her.

Elio also leaned back on the picnic table, looking up and thinking about his answer. Maybe he's even replaying the scene in his head.

"... Did you know I played against your brother?" He asked me, lowering his head and looking into me, his eyes now matching that beautiful sky above us. "James and I played against him for fun on the ice and your brother crushed us. He was just so fast and talented that I was hard to catch up... Ever since I watched a hockey game, I knew that's what I wanted to do. When I was on the ice, it felt amazing. Playing with and against strong player light up this spark inside me. This fire. Playing against your brother, I knew that I would want to play against him again, to learn and get better."

I heard something similar with James and just any player that goes against Adonis. My brother always had a talent for the sport. I've seen people both admire him and envy him for his talents. I've seen my brother be cocky but on the ice? He treated his opponent and teammates as his equal. He always gave his all, no matter who it is.

It's something I admire from him and something I can't blame for woman throwing themselves at him. My brother has a charm and a talent he doesn't take for granted. He trains and trains.

"James and I got close for multiple reasons, one of them being because we wanted to crush your brother." Elio said while smiling as if the memory is one he's forever going to cherish.

It brought a smile to my face. "Dennis is being scouted to join leagues. They're minor at the moment but he is getting a lot of exposure. Even today, James still can't catch up." I mentioned as an encouragement for him to keep trying.

And when I saw the fire behind his eyes, I knew he took that encouragement.

"We had a close bond but to be honest, I... God, I don't know but I felt a little jealous of him. Maybe even envious." He shrugs, having a hard time admitting to himself what happened and how he felt. "I fucked up real bad. I know I did. But..." He groans.

His face into his hands which soon went through his hair. He kept his hands at the back of his head, looking at me now.

"That day, Emma texted me." He confessed. "She told me she wanted to talk to me so I met up with her. I didn't think anything bad of it. Just two friends. I waited for her, she showed up. I asked her why she wanted to meet. She told me it was about James. We talked and then she looked at me, and asked me something and then grabbed into me and one thing led to another and we kissed." Elio looked like he regretted it.

Like if it was a mistake.

"I knew James feelings for her. He told me himself. What I didn't understand was Emma. She kept confusing me. Asking about James. I assured her but also asked questions because nothing she said made sense." Elio seem frustrated by the memory.

"Woah. Elio. What do you mean nothing made sense? What was she asking?" I'm now more curious about what happened that day.

"She kept asking me about James's feelings for her. About their relationship and her insecurities but it didn't make sense because James liked her. He had for so long. It wasn't like it was a secret." He mentioned but then soon realized that the person he's talking to is the one who's in a relationship with his ex-best friend. "No offence. That was back then and--"