Begin Again novel Chapter 161

Accepting Isaac's movie invitation was a mistake.

Eden knew that as soon as they bought the tickets, and he splashed out on popcorn and drinks.

It was supposed to be a casual night out on the town between two friends. But, Isaac had stars in his eyes, and she had a lot of hurt in her heart.

This wouldn't end well for one of them, or both, the same way it didn't end well for her and Liam.

What did you think was going to happen, Eden thought sadly as she tried to follow the intricate storyline of the Rom-Com playing out in front of her. It sounded very much like the badly-written plot to her own love life, and there were a lot of similarities between her and the protagonist. They were both attracted to emotionally unavailable men and ignored the dependable guys who wanted to give them the world.

Isaac was safe and dependable.

He was a decent guy, a good friend and a fantastic handyman. He'd helped her repaint the inside of her house, and they were planning to tackle her yard soon. It helped that her friends adored him, too, and Aiden was smitten with Zoe, his three-year-old daughter.

Isaac would make such a perfect boyfriend.

He'd never make love to her one minute and the next, allow his ex to give him head in his office.

Eden firmly shut her eyes, trying to banish the image of Laura doing stuff to Liam she hadn't even done to him yet. But it was no use. The scene she'd walked in on earlier was permanently burnt to her brain, and hard as she tried to ignore the memory, she couldn't.

But when it was all said and done, it was her own damn fault. She knew what she was getting herself into when she gave in to Liam. They were not in an exclusive relationship, and she had no right to be angry with him, the same way she had no business feeling hurt.

But, she was hurt, angry and bitterly disappointed, especially since they were still dealing with the shit from Fashion Week.

They'd barely talked over the past few days, and when she went to deliver Lydia's signed contract, she was hoping to clear the air. The last thing she had expected to find was his ex—the very same woman who was at the centre of all their issues—on her knees with her hands in his pants.

"Hey, are you okay?" Isaac asked. "You seem distracted.

Eden smiled and assured him she's great; she just had a long day at work.

"Do you want to get out of here then and have an early night?"

No, she didn't.

It wasn't even 6:00 PM yet.

If she went home now, she'd have nothing but time on her hands since Brenda took care of everything.

Time was a dangerous commodity when your heart was in pieces. She needed these two hours to get her shit together.

"Thanks, but I think I deserve an adult night out," she said, forcing herself to eat the popcorn Isaac had so generously bought her.

In her fit of anger, she must have dumped the entire salt shaker in there.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She glared at him as she washed down the burn with her sparkling water. No wonder he didn't eat any.

"I thought you were feeling salty today," he chuckled and took her hand as he held her gaze.

She shouldn't encourage him, and they shouldn't have these long, strange pauses.

Long, strange pauses create expectations and —

Her phone buzzed in her bag, killing the long, strange pause.