Temptations

41. OLD FLAMES

ELLIE

When I woke up the next morning, I was freezing due to the cold. Last night, after slipping out of my dress, I just put on a thin, long t-shirt and went to sleep. Now I was bearing the brunt of it with my shivering body.

I walked out of the bed without making any noise and changed into a warm sweater and tights. It was just 5 am in the morning so I once again lay down and tried to go back to sleep.

Nathan's face was turned towards me and he was sleeping peacefully. His hair was falling on his forehead and his nose was scrunched.

Seeing him reminded me of our dispute last night and I sighed heavily. I don't know if I overreacted or not last night. Maybe he was speaking truth and had no idea about Sabrina watching us. But knowing Nathan, the alternative seems more believable.

Whatever it was, I had no intention of losing any more peace of mind over it.

I was unintentionally watching him sleep when his eyes suddenly opened and he caught me red handed. I stay frozen at my spot, watching him as he watched me watch him. Neither of us spoke first and an awkward silence prevailed in the room.

"Good morning." He broke the silence first. "Or are we still not talking?"

"What happened last night can't happen again. You need to maintain distance from me." I said sharply without beating around the bush. His jaw clenched as his soft expressions turned hard.

"Anything else?" He raised his eyebrow.

"That would be enough." I replied and closed my eyes.

"Won't be a problem for me." I heard him say after which he turned around.

He pretended to be asleep but from his tense body, I could feel he was wide awake. Sleep was the last thing on my mind too but I didn't bother to fake it. Instead, I picked up my phone and began mindlessly scrolling.

*******

It was lunch break and I had gone to a nearby pizza place with Tyra. We both decided to split a pizza and ordered ourselves fruit punch. The whole place smelled of fresh pizza dough and it churned my stomach.

"I saw your picture in a tabloid today. You both looked smoking hot at the party." Tyra said and I smiled nervously, not wanting to tell her how our day really ended.

"Thanks." I said and tried to change the subject. "Forget about the party. That was just an elite nonsense. How's baby Nico?"

"He is growing up so fast. Let me show you." She pulled out her phone and showed a picture of her baby. He was looking absolutely adorable while driving his toy car and waving at the camera. His hair had grown since last time and they were styled in small braids now.

"Aww." My eyes brightened with awe. "He is a little bundle of joy."

"He is growing up so fast. Before I know it, he will be off to kindergarten. I'm already having empty nest syndrome." She pouted while staring at the picture.

"Kids are just so adorable. I have known Aria for less than half a year but I can't imagine a life without her." I said and remembered how she gave me a kiss when I dropped her at her school today morning.

We were engaged in our conversation when suddenly, Tyra spotted someone behind me and said, "Is that Mr. Byers?"

I angled my neck and found him talking to a girl. I couldn't see the girl's face as she was sitting with her back towards me but by the look on it, they seemed pretty cozy with each other. He was smiling at something she had said and she was playing with her hair.

From the back, I could only see her thin waist, partially covered by her thick black locks.

"Who's he with?" Tyra asked suspiciously.

"I don't know." I said and suddenly, Nathan's eyes met mine, widening in surprise. I looked away and engrossed myself in eating the slice, ignoring Tyra's inquisitive glances.

When we were finally done with pizza, we paid the bill and stood up to leave. The only issue was, we had to pass by their table and I felt awkward doing that.

At last, gathering the courage, I followed Tyra towards the exit, hoping he wouldn't notice. But while I was passing by their table, Nathan's voice reached me.

"Ellie." He said, stopping me in tracks.

I turned towards him and feigned surprise. "Hey, I didn't see you." His eyes told me that he knew I was lying yet he didn't say anything.

"Oh so this is famous Ellie." The feminine voice said and I finally turned towards the source of the voice.

The voice belonged to a stunning woman that looked straight out of a vogue magazine. She had tanned skin, straight jet black hair and baby blue eyes, all those features in combination giving her a very conventionally beautiful look. Her bone structure was sharp and there were not an inch of stomach roll even though she was sitting.

"Ellie, meet Alicia, my childhood friend." Nathan introduced us.

The woman stood up to greet me with a hug. "You're prettier than the wedding photos, Ellie. Please join us." She said to me with a warm smile.

"No, please, you both should enjoy it. I was going back to work anyway." I resisted.

"Please, I insist." She said and I looked at Nathan uncomfortably. He motioned me to join them and I sighed heavily.

Tyra signaled me that she would leave now. Waving at her, I sat down beside Nathan and passed Alicia an awkward smile.

"So how do you two know each other?" I asked.

"We went to school together." She said in her thick British accent. "We used to be pretty tight."

"How come you never told me about her?" I asked Nathan and then realized we weren't real husband and wife and he wasn't supposed to tell me about everyone in his life.

"Actually I left the states when I was 16 for law school. Studies then job and all; I've been really busy. It's my third visit in the last 12 years." She said, playing with her silky hair. I looked down at my hair and cringed at the split ends.

"Last time she was here, I was marrying Sabrina." Nathan chuckled as he sipped his coffee.

"And I was dating that surgeon, remember? Oh, how the times have changed." She reminisced.

Both of them continued to share memories of their last and I felt like I was intruding in a private moment. I felt like a third person and it made me very uncomfortable. At the end, I finally found the courage to said, "I have an important task. Please allow me."

"It's okay. I can talk to Drake." Nathan said.

"Don't. I really need to go." I stressed, glaring at him and stood up to leave. "Don't forget to visit us at home, Alicia. We would love to host you."

"Definitely. It's been a long time since I saw Mama Cate. Is she the same diva?" She asked Nathan, ignoring me altogether.

"You can't imagine." Nathan replied and began giving more details.

Feeling unwanted, I slowly walked away from the table and then made way outside. I wasn't Nathan's real wife then why did I feel bitter seeing him cozy up to some random woman. Was it jealousy? But why am I getting jealous? Ughhhh.

I hate you, Nathan Byers. You've ruined the peace of my mind.

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