“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Xavier, I’m getting married by the end of the month.” *** “Yes,” he said, coming over and picking up her bowl.
He paused, going quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "What do you mean? I didn't ask you." *** She raised her eyebrows at him.
“No, of course you didn’t. My father has been attempting to find me a suitor and I guess he found one.” *** He moved the bowl into the kitchen.
She frowned, shaking her head slowly. “We just... we need to call this off now,” she said, looking up at him. “This thing between us... it needs to be done. Before it hurts too much to let go.” *** He set it down on the counter, turning to look at her.
“We need to stop this,” she repeated, looking up at him. *** He squinted before bringing it back to her. “I hope you’ve learned your lesson.”
She looked bewildered, her brows furrowing as well. "Because I'm engaged, Xav." * * * "And I can take it away too. You are a guest in this house."
"I don't have a choice," she said, her voice sounding a little sharper than she meant it to. "It's why we need to stop now before we get more serious." * * * "It's all a facade, ma'am."
Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him. "That's is not what I said, Xavier. You know that this was serious to me." * * * He sat across from her again, squinting at her. "You don't seem to respect my authority."
She looked hurt by this, backing away from him slightly. "That's not fair. That's not fair and you know it." * * * "No, you're making fun of me," he complained, resting his head on his hand.
He was watching her sharply. "You should go." *** Her expression was warm. "I'm being genuine, here."
"Yeah, I think I should too," she said sharply, tears in her eyes. "I'm glad we're in agreement about this whole thing." * * * "Sure you are," he replied playfully. "You just want my soup."
He looked sad, but didn't say anything, watching her go with a frown. *** She smiled. "It is some good soup."
Despite her best intentions, she slammed the door as she left. (Zoop!) A few nights later, Ellie was in her bed, her back to the balcony. She was asleep, wearing her silken pajamas, but despite the comfort of the room, she looked uncomfortable, as if it might not have been her room. * * * "I knew it."
