Never His Second Choice Chapter 08
I laughed out loud.
“Ethan. I’m not sleeping on your couch. Because I’m not that cheap.”
Ethan’s brow knit tighter. He rushed to explain:
“I can rent you your own apartment. It’s not a big deal.”
“So I’m just supposed to keep tolerating you living with my best friend? Is that it?”
Ethan was, briefly, at a loss for words.
Just then, my phone buzzed. A text from Owen: he was already downstairs at my office.
I wiped my mouth, pushed back my chair, and stood.
“There’s nothing more to say.”
“I have to go. My boyfriend is here to pick me up.”
Sorry, Owen. I’m borrowing your name for a moment. I just can’t swallow this any longer.
Nina’s head whipped to Ethan first.
He was still holding his water glass. His face was blank—but his knuckles had gone white against the rim.
I kept my composure.
As I passed him, Ethan suddenly grabbed my wrist. His voice was strained:
“You… you have a boyfriend?”
“Is that a problem? We broke up.”
I tried to pull my wrist free. He held on tighter.
“You’re lying, right? How could you—how could you fall for someone else so fast?”
He was so agitated that a red mark quickly bloomed around my wrist.
“Ethan, you’re hurting me!”
He instinctively eased his grip—but wouldn’t let go.
“Lena, tell me you’re joking.”
Ethan, always cool, always composed, always so much above everyone else—for the first time, his face crumbled in front of me.
The realization hit me slowly. I stared at him, incredulous.
“Ethan, what are you so angry about? Are you actually going to tell me you don’t want me dating? That you still have feelings for me?”
He snapped his hand back like he’d been burned.
I laughed at myself, once, and turned to leave.
Behind me, Nina was already comforting him, her voice gentle and perfectly measured:
“Since Lena’s moved on, Ethan, you should let go too…”
The glass door swung shut. I didn’t hear his answer, and I didn’t want to.
Outside, the rain had thinned to a drizzle.
Owen’s car was pulled up at the curb. I was about to open my umbrella when he stepped out first, his own umbrella already raised.
“It’s not much, but you’ll catch a cold if you get wet.”
I smiled at him and slid into the passenger seat.
Through the misted-up window, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan standing at the restaurant door. His shirt and hair were soaked through with rain, and he stood there completely still.
I looked away for good. Only forward now.
Sam had heard my “brother” was picking me up and had been texting me nonstop with excited messages.
“Lena! Please, PLEASE, get with my brother?! I’ve wanted us to be family FOREVER!”
I laughed, shook my head, and locked the screen.
Then the phone rang again. Ethan.
He was calling like a man possessed—hanging up and redialing, and when the calls didn’t go through, sending message after message.
Owen glanced sideways, softly:
“You’re not going to answer? Your ex?”
I was surprised at how sharp he was. But I saw no reason to hide anything.
“Yeah. He came to find me today.”
Owen’s hands tightened on the wheel. He was quiet for a moment before speaking.
“Lena… would you promise me something? Don’t say yes to him yet. Give me a fair chance to compete.”