hapter 32
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Chapter 32
It was late at night at the Encounter Bar. As soon as they entered, Layton pulled Alex towards the stage. “Come on, maybe you’ll like her,” he said.
Alex wasn’t really interested and tugged Layton upstairs to get a drink.
On the stairs, Layton glanced back at the stage and suddenly tugged Alex, almost making them stumble. “Alex, look! Isn’t that Ellie?” he exclaimed.
Alex squinted at Ellie, who was singing on stage in a white dress, and his face darkened.
“Wow, she looks amazing.” Layton said, impressed. “She’s really grown up.”
Alex gave Layton a warning look, and Layton quickly fell silent.
Alex stared at Ellie, his jaw tense. “She looks like, a ghost with all that makeup. It’s terrible,” he muttered.
“Something’s off with her, Layton observed. He grabbed Alex and headed downstairs. “Is your girl going through a breakup? She sounds like she’s about to cry.”
Alex just snorted coldly and headed straight upstairs.
During the break, Ellie was on her way to the restroom when she saw Alex smoking in the hallway. She paused for a moment, then decided to avoid him and head to the restroom on a different floor.
Ever since she came back, Alex had been constantly trying to provoke her, even going so far as to insult her. That morning at her apartment, he’d been particularly harsh. She didn’t argue back, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t affected.
She had no intention of putting herself in an awkward situation by being around him again. If she could, she’d rather not see him at all
As Ellie turned the corner in the hallway, she ran into Layton, who greeted her with a smile. She just kept walking, not even looking up.
At Haley’s birthday party, if it weren’t for Layton’s help, Alex might not have been able to get his hands on something from her brother’s pocket. If her brother’s ring hadn’t been taken, she and her brother wouldn’t have been so embarrassed.
Layton pulled back his hand and walked over to Alex, giving him a look of disapproval. “At Haley’s birthday party, I helped you out, but I ended up upsetting Ellie. Just now, she didn’t even call me, just turned and left.”
Alex stared at the spot where Ellie had disappeared, his expression unreadable. “If she doesn’t want to call you, that’s fine. It’s not like it’s a big deal.”
Layton glanced down the empty hallway and teased him. “If it’s not a big deal, then why don’t you just let her go back to her family?”
“Since they’re ignoring you, what are you still doing here? Let’s go grab a drink,” Layton suggested.
“I’ll finish this cigarette first. You go ahead,” Alex said, nudging Layton away.
15:03 Sat, Jan 25
