What The Heart Remembers - The Heart #2 (Complete)

Chapter 17 - Part 2

Lacey

Reece and I were seated on the sofa in front of the TV to watch the awards live. A ripple of excitement ran through me as I glimpsed Adonis in the throng of celebrities walking the red carpet. My heart fluttered as he smiled at the reporter he was talking to. I stuffed another mouthful of popcorn into my mouth.

I had watched so many of these events before but this time it was different. Instead of pinning for him I watched with satisfaction and happiness that he was mine.

"And there is lover boy," Reece said with disdain, scrunching up her face in a frown.

"Hey, just because your love life is a mess at the moment doesn't mean you get to rain on my parade," I threw back at her with a raised eyebrow. She let out a heavy sigh.

"You're right," she said taking one of the pillows and hugging it to her. "It's not your fault I'm in the mess I"m in."

I felt a pang of sympathy for her. Leaning over I squeezed her arm gently.

"Sorry."

"It's okay," she replied with a shrug, giving me a weak smile. "I made the choice and I have to find a way to live with the consequences."

And boy were there consequences.

"It'll be okay," I assured even thought no matter who she chose, someone would be walking away with a broken heart. I had thought she'd been pretty serious about Max but a momentary lapse with Aiden had dissolved their friendship, and they'd gone from best friends to strangers who could barely look at each other.

Apparently without me knowing Aiden had become close friends with Reece. Aiden had needed someone to talk to about the loss of our friendship when I'd lost my memories. He had taken it hard and Reece had helped him deal with it. They had grown closer and things had happened.

I never would have believed my friend would be in that type of position but it had happened. Max was out of the picture and things were complicated with Aiden.

"Enough about me. Talking about it isn't making it any easier," she said, her eyes fixed on the TV in front of us. "Turn up the sound."

She was right. We'd spent so much time talking about Max and Aiden she was sick of it. She needed to take time out and forget about boys for a while, hence the invitation to watch the awards with me. I probably should have taken her out but she'd been opposed to the idea of going out to a club.

I gave her a lingering look before I reached for the remote and increased the volume as Adonis appeared on the screen. He was being interviewed alone by a reporter. My heart fluttered with possessiveness. I'd done this countless times before but this was the first time he was mine.

"Has your friend recovered from her surgery?" I leaned a little closer, I'd stopped chewing my popcorn.

"Yes, she's fine now."

"There are rumours that she's more than a friend." I held my breathe a little.

Despite trying to cover it up I could see he was uncomfortable with the question. Years of growing up with him had allowed me to read him better than most people.

He smiled, revealing the dimples that made my knees go week and shook his head slightly.

"No, she is only a close family friend."

I swallowed hard. She is only a close family friend, echoed in my mind.

"Really?" The reporter persisted.

"She's the little sister of my best friend. Nothing more." He shrugged and I swallowed again unable to bury the hurt I felt.

"You two seemed much closer than that," the reporter said holding to mike closer to him.

"I'm unattached. There is no special girl."

That stung harder. He is doing this to protect you, I told myself, trying to reassure myself.

Realistically I knew he was probably trying to protect me from public scrutiny but there was a part of me that wanted to shout to the world that he was mine. I smothered the urge as I sat back and shoved some more popcorn into my mouth.

I was trying to cover up my hurt from my friend but she knew me too well. I glanced in her direction to catch a

sympathetic look before I looked back to the interview.

"But what about your heartfelt speech at the concert a few nights ago."

The moment that had brought us back to each other.

"It was a infatuation," he replied with a casual smile. "It didn't last long."

I pressed my lips together trying to fight the pain in the middle of my chest.

"What about the girl who arrived with you guys tonight?" she asked him and I frowned.

What girl was the reporter talking about? I felt my stomach drop.

"What girl?" Reece asked from beside me.

"I don't know."

My feelings of years of inadequacy gripped me and I put my popcorn down. I waited for him to answer the question but he just shook his head and evaded the question. My frowned deepened.

"You okay?" Reece asked beside me and I felt her hand on my arm.

I swallowed the hurt I felt and smiled at her.

"Yeah."

I shouldn't feel like this. After everything we'd been through I had to trust that he loved me as much as I loved him.

We watched the rest of the show but I still couldn't shake what Adonis had said and what he hadn't said. Reece tried her best to list the reasons why he hadn't revealed our relationships but none of her explanations could shake the unsettledness I felt. There was no logical reason for it because he'd told me earlier that day he loved me and how much he missed me. But what he hadn't told me was that there was a girl going to the awards with the band. It didn't necessarily mean that the girl was with him, but I remembered the way he smiled and evaded the question from the reporter when she'd asked about the mystery girl.

Glancing at Reece sleeping beside me I contemplated calling him but I stopped myself. He was probably out with the guys celebrating. I didn't want to be a clingy girlfriend so I set my phone beside my bed and stared at the wall. After assuring myself multiple times that I was blowing it out of proportion I managed to calm my mind long enough to fall asleep.

**********

I thought by the time I woke up in the morning I would feel better but I hadn't. It was still early. I checked the time and calculated what the time it was where Adonis was. It was ten in the morning. After a late night he would probably still be sleeping but I couldn't wait any longer. I needed him to assure me. I needed to hear him say those three little words and all the anxious inadequacy I felt would go away. It would be that simple.

I bit my lip as I picked up my phone and took a deep breath. My finger hovered over the call button as I tried to organise my thoughts and what I would say to Gray.

Pressing the dial button I waited as his phone started to ring. It rang.

Pick up, Pick up. It continued to ring.

Pick up. I thought. I needed him to answer the call and put my worries to rest. But every ring I felt the anxious knot in the pit of my stomach knot.

Just when I thought the call was going to go to voicemail someone answered it.

"Hello?" the female voice said.

At first I thought I might have dialled the wrong number somehow but a quick look at the caller id assured me it was Adonis' phone.

"Hello... Is anyone there?" the girl asked again. I swallowed hard trying to figure out what was going on.

"Yes..." I said. "Is Adonis there?"

"Yes, but he's still sleeping."

Then the picture formed in my mind. The girl, his phone and my stomach turned.

"Do you want me to give him a message?" she asked but I hung up.