When Stars Fall [EBOOK and PAPERBACK PUBLISHED]

5. Ellie - Present Day

I'm standing at my side door, practically pacing, waiting for Wyatt to show up. Matt was less than impressed last night when I told him I intended to spend most of the day with Wyatt. I argued that giving in a little now would mean I could easily manage Wyatt later.

I lied.

Wyatt doesn't work like that and giving into him won't help me either. This scenario is why I've kept the emotional door shut and locked with any form of security available. Once he worms his way in to your heart, it is almost impossible to root him out again. Leaving him ten years ago crushed me. At one point, I wasn't sure I'd ever bounce back, ever feel whole again.

The one bright spot? I know I can survive. I'm capable of surviving enormous heartbreak and not breaking. I don't need to learn that lesson again, definitely not from him.

The security intercom buzzes, and my heartrate skyrockets. I press a hand to my chest and close my eyes. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I say, "Yeah, Jerome?"

"Mr. Wyatt Burgess is here?"

Right. I didn't tell him that Wyatt was coming. If he saw The Late Show last night, or checked any form of social media, he'll know why Wyatt is here, but he has no idea how I feel about it. I wish I knew.

"He can come through." Wyatt anywhere on the island in broad daylight is a disaster waiting to happen.

#Wyllie is trending. People are tagging me and Wyatt in stories, videos, gifs, memes, anything that has even a touch of relevance. I can't look at any of it. Too much, too quickly. Old memories pour down on me, flood my consciousness, drown me. I'm using my burner phone that only has vital contacts to stop the noise. His reappearance is my worst nightmare and my wildest dream.

I peek out the blinds as Wyatt rounds the hedges. My breath hitches in that old, familiar way. When he used to stride in my direction, gaze trained on me, looking like he could devour me, I wondered how I got so lucky. Then, my luck ran out.

At the door, he puts his hands on his hips and puffs out a few quick breaths before knocking. Each wrap of his knuckles bangs on the door to my heart. Agreeing to see him is a bad idea.

Before I can talk myself out of spending the day with him, I open the door. My face should be neutral while my heart thumps crazily in my chest. I'm a good enough actor to pull this off. He takes me in from head to foot, and a grin spreads across his face, taking my heart with it.

"You look amazing," he says.

"Thanks." I smother my smile.

My hands itch to touch him. To have him this close and not touch him seems wrong, against every instinct in my body. We were always very affectionate, very connected. He had a lot of faults but showing me and everyone else that he loved me had never been one of them. Sitting across from him in the living room last night had been a huge test to my willpower. When he came close enough for me to smell that he still wore the same cologne, I thought I was going to black out. Memories rushed back. If Matt wasn't in my room, I'm not sure what would have happened.

When I called Nikki, once Wyatt left, she was quieter than I expected. She listened to me ramble. All she said at the end was, "Be careful. There's a lot at stake."

I grab the two motorbike helmets off the kitchen island and pass him one. He eyes me skeptically. "You're still driving a bike?" he asks.

I try to hide my grin. There were many things Wyatt and I used to fight about, but we were both risk takers, thrill seekers. After I left L.A., I calmed down a lot, but I have no idea what Wyatt is like anymore.

"You don't?" I open a side door to the garage and hit the button that lifts it up to the private laneway.

He caresses the helmet like a long-lost friend. "No, not really. Got a bit dangerous with the number of paparazzi I sometimes have chasing me down." Wyatt follows me into the garage.