Harper " What ? " My eyes narrowed . : 55 vouchers He slowly ran his thumb along his bottom lip . " Kate left quite a mess when I dropped her off before coming here . Actually , she started at the estate . Are my lips a little red ? " I knew exactly what he was trying to do by asking me that and I didn't care . " Nope , " I said . " That's strange . " He pulled his thumb away . " I wiped it all off but can still taste the flavor of her lipstick . " " She was actually there , too ? " I asked . " Yup . " He raised the corner of his mouth . " I didn't expect you to be jealous . " " I'm not . " He raised an eyebrow like he didn't believe me , but I meant it . I wasn't jealous at all . I knew who he was and expected nothing less . What I didn't expect was the silence that came afterwards . He just looked at me and not in that usual way of wanting to get in my pants . His expression was unreadable . I couldn't take it anymore , so I leaned forward and said , " What ? " " It's nothing ." His voice was low as he looked away . Then , he snapped out of it like a switch had flipped and casually said , " I'm leaving town immediately after my birthday . " " I heard . " " I know . Now that I think about it ... " He trailed off , heading back inside . I didn't know what he was up to , but I followed behind him . As soon as he opened the door , his voice was smooth . " Ladies ," he paused , giving them a nod . " Come to my birthday party on March 10th ." Their faces lit up . " Wait , seriously ? " Zoey's eyes grew wide . He smirked . " I don't joke about parties . Just by looking at you two , I expect some killer dresses ." They nodded eagerly while smiling at him . 7:26 Tue , Sep 16 Chapter 22 ... Glancing at me before heading back towards his car , he flatly said , " Later . " 77 55 vouchers After that , he was out the door and shut it before I could follow . Something had changed about him , or maybe I had made myself believe he seemed more open , but not anymore . The moment the engine faded down the street , Zoey and Ella squealed behind me . " Did Maddox Aldridge just invite us to his birthday party ? " Zoey placed her hands on the sides of her head . " In the flesh ? " Ella added . " Harper , seriously , why aren't you dating him again ? He definitely has a thing for you . " " No , he doesn't ." I said , taking a seat on the couch . " Not even in my next life would I think of dating him ." " Why not ? " they asked in unison . I sighed . " He's nothing but a playboy ." " In that case , " Ella paused to hold my hand , " you better get those fucking benefits , literally ." I rolled my eyes . " I need another cup of tea ." Deep down , that stare of his was still on my mind . What could he possibly have been thinking about while looking at me like that after I'd pointed out the difference when he spoke to his father and uncle ? It took a week to finally feel like my usual self again and I was back to my regular morning routine , a water bottle in my hand as I jogged down the street . Maddox was still an ass in more ways than one , but I still appreciated his efforts to get me everything that was in that bag . When he left that evening , I sent him a text to thank him again and all I got was a short reply with one word . " Welcome . " I had gotten so used to texting back and forth with him that when he no longer gave me that same energy and took hours to reply , it actually felt weird . It was one week before his birthday party and Ella and Zoey were so excited that the three of us went shopping . They talked about it all the time and I wondered how I'd make it through the week with their excitement only building up . As for me , I didn't really feel like going anymore , not after how he had distanced himself from me . I hadn't even told my friends yet . I knew what they were going to say . Picking up the pace as beads of sweat ran down the sides of my face , I told myself my time with Maddox in ways that no one else could touch me were fun while they lasted , but it was time to move on . When I turned at the corner and into the next street , I sensed another presence beside me , so I looked over and slowed down a little . It was Dean , smiling brightly at me . 7:26 Tue , Sep 16 Chapter 22 ... : 77 55 vouchers " It's been a while . " His breath was a little heavy . " I haven't seen you all week . " " I wasn't feeling too well ." " That explains why I couldn't see you in the streets of this neighborhood every morning . And I would have known you weren't feeling too well if I had your number . " I stopped in my tracks , my breath heavy . " Is that your way of asking for my " No , this is ... can I have your number ? " It was so amusing that I chuckled . number ? " The two of us spent the next thirty minutes talking while jogging at our own pace . I made it back home afterwards and stepped into the shower . Right when I finished dressing up , my phone screen lit up with an incoming call. My heart instantly skipped a beat at the caller ID . It was Grayson . He had been calling me everyday just to check up on me . I was glad I never saw him in the flesh the whole week . Talking to him on the phone for hours already wasn't good for me as I had gotten used to it and it made me feel special in a way that wasn't even there . " Hey , " I said as soon as I picked up , trying not to smile . " I'm on my way to work and since I left early , I thought I'd see you first . " I found myself blushing already . " Cool ." " What do you mean ' cool ' ? " I blinked in confusion . " I don't get it . " He chuckled . " I'm at your doorstep . " I gasped . " No way . " Quickly , I headed downstairs and checked from the window just to see if he was messing with me . To my pleasant surprise , his car was parked right in my front yard and that immediately gave me butterflies . Fixing my damp hair with my fingers , I cleared my throat a few times to calm down . There was no need to get so excited , but this was Grayson , the one guy my fucking heart still wanted . I was fully composed when I opened the door for him , my lips curving into a smile at how polished he looked in his grey suit . " Hey , I didn't hear the engine outside . I was in the shower . " He pulled me in for a hug , his chin resting right on top of my head . " That explains why your hair smells lovely . " 7:26 Tue , Sep 16 Chapter 22 : 77 55 vouchers Not only did I hold him tighter because of that compliment , it was also because I wanted to inhale the luxurious scent of his cologne . I should've let go after a few seconds , but he was finally in front of me after only talking on the phone the whole week . Breaking the hug , he held my hand , leading me to the couch . He was the first to take his seat and pulled me down towards him so I could sit real close . It all made me feel like one of those moments where a guy wants his girl close because he missed her . He threw his arm around me while looking around . " I could have come sooner , but I had a lot going on at work and with Tiffany all week ." " Doesn't this feel weird to you ? " He sighed . " I told you before that Tiffany will just have to understand . I'm not letting you go ." My heart fluttered . I looked up at him . " And did you already tell her that ? " " Not yet ." His voice was low as he dropped his gaze to my lips and that made me swallow hard . That wasn't right . He was married and never mine . It took everything in me to look away when all I wanted was to taste his lips , even just once . Facing the floor , I said , " Since you haven't told her , does this qualify as sneaking ? " He scoffed . " You're my best friend , Harp . " " Of course I am ." I forced a smile . " I just need to find the right moment to talk to her about it ." " I doubt that it'll go how you think it will , especially after she made that post about me and things didn't go her way . " " Just so you know , I was rooting for you ." Those words made me want to hold him tighter , but for once , I listened to my brain that kept telling me to get away . Swiftly rising to my feet , I said , " Can I get you something to drink ? " " Just some water " I took my time to get to the kitchen , yet all I wanted to do was run away from the living room . I reached for a glass but didn't fill it up with water right away . My heart was still racing and I just needed a moment to breathe . 7:26 Tue , Sep 16 Chapter 22 Just as I was about to fill up the glass , his voice echoed through the kitchen . " This neighbourhood is so quiet ." I tightened my grip on the glass . Why did he have to follow me ? " Uh ... yeah ... that's one of the things I really like about it . " I looked back with a small smile . 77 55 vouchers When I filled up his glass and turned around to hand it to him , my heart skipped a beat as he had already moved closer . I held out my hand to give him the glass and as he received it , his finger brushed against mine and he paused , his gaze dropping to where our fingers touched , then back up to my face . For me , time stopped but I knew it wasn't the case for him and I confirmed it when he firmly held the glass and pulled back his hand . " I still can't believe you're going to Maddox's birthday party with your friends . " He took a sip while widening the distance . " I'm sure you'll have a blast . Kate said everyone will be blown away . " " Kate ? " I furrowed my eyebrows . He leaned against the counter . " Yup , they've been talking all week and she's even helping out with his birthday party preparations ." " Cool ." " This is who Maddox is ." I sighed heavily . " Please , don't start ." " He had his fun with you and that was it ." I scoffed . " I'm the one who had my fun with him . " I didn't care that Maddox and Kate were close , I knew what I was getting myself into when I let him have me , but Grayson just wanted to turn it into an ' I told you so ' moment and I wasn't going to let it happen . " Look ... " He trailed off when his phone began to ring and he reached for it in his pocket with his other hand , " It's my wife . " He said it with so much pride that I felt like slamming the counter . Couldn't he have just said her name ? " Babe ," he said softly when he picked up . " What ? " His voice got louder . Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!