The Fighter and His Tiger (Unexpected Love #1)

32. Saturday Week Eleven

32. Saturday Week Eleven

Two weeks. That's how long Noah hadn't spoken to me for and to top it off I hadn't spoken to Eli since we had slept together last Saturday.

It was undeniable that he was avoiding me or at least pushing me away again. Confusion swamped me as I made myself dinner at home. Nan and Ty were out for the evening so I had the house to myself which meant I had plenty of time to overthink things. Bloody perfect.

The smearing of Nutella on toast was halted by the sound of my doorbell. Licking my fingers clean of chocolatey goodness, I made my way to the front door to open it.

"Eli," I mumbled out in surprise around the finger still in my mouth.

Eli arched a brow and I abruptly removed my finger as his eyes traced a path from my white painted toes, up my legs clad in purple lounge trousers before they stopped on my torso which was sheathed in his sweatshirt — sue me, it was oversized and warm.

"You gonna let me in?"

I cocked my hip out, "you gonna disappear for another week?"

He grunted before moving past me and into the house, letting himself in, "we need to talk, Rei."

The door slammed as I closed it with a little too much force, "yes, we do. Where've you been?"

Eli spun to face me, stopping in the lounge, "busy."

"Great. Now that I know everything, I can rest easy."

He gave me a dry look, "you don't need to know everything."

I frowned, "that implies that I don't already. I thought you told me everything about your father and all that stuff."

But before he could respond the shrill doorbell sounded through our quaint little bungalow, I was popular tonight.

The face on the other side of the door shocked me, excited me, saddened me.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hi," I replied, a broad but sad smile stretching across my face, "I've missed you so much, No-No."

A beat of silence, "I've missed you too, Rei."

If possible, my smile widened but it soon dropped off my face when I heard shuffling noises behind me and then Noah's eyes flickered to Eli and his entire face hardened, except for his eyes which gleamed with anger.

"Seriously?" He looked at me, "what is he doing here?"

"Why would I not be here?" Eli had his arms crossed across his chest and he was staring at Noah with passive indifference.

Noah shook his head, "what are you doing, Rei?"

"I don't know," I breathed out as my mind flowed with all the things that had happened recently, "but I don't want to lose you, Noah."

"And I don't want to lose you either, why do you think I came here tonight?"

Hope fluttered alive in my chest, "so let's talk, we can fix this."

His eyes flickered back to Eli, "how? How are we supposed to when I can't trust a word you say because he," an aggressive point at Eli, "is always around, manipulating everything you do and say?"

"What?" I frowned, "he doesn't manipulate me, Noah, what are you talking about?"

"Really?" His yelling voice rang in my ears, "so why have you been lying to me, keeping things from me!? It's because of him, Reillyn, he is bad for you!"