Chapter 169 Those Damn Eyes
Chapter 169 Those Damn Eyes
ROWAN
My eyes just moved on their own. I followed Tessa’s figure as she sat right next to Arden–the woman I swore I was interested in the moment I met her.
How could I not? Arden was headstrong and didn’t take any bullshit from anyone. She reminded me a bit of Ellana. But now, she didn’t even enter my vision.
My focus was entirely on Tessa.
She looked a little different now. She wasn’t the fragile girl I first met. That girl had hollow cheeks, sharp edges where flesh should’ve been.
This one–fuck.
Her cheeks had filled, soft and warm, plump in a way that made her look alive. Her eyes, though, hadn’t changed. Still wide and curious.
The worst part was that they still had that way of looking like they were staring into your goddamn soul.
And the dress.
Fuck me, the dress.
A low–cut black slip of fabric that clung in places it shouldn’t, dipping low enough to bare curves k because I’d had them under my palms once. One night. A mistake I swore never to repeat. And yet the memory slammed back into me with brutal clarity–the way she gasped against my mouth, the tremble of her body arching beneath mine, the sound she made when I buried myself deep inside her.
My slacks tightened at the recollection. I shifted, discreetly adjusting myself beneath the table.
However, amidst my observations, I saw a faint line above the swell of her chest. A scar.
I recognized its placement. I knew too well what it meant.
Ellana..
The first love I could never scrub from my skin. The girl whose heart now beat in Tessa’s chest. I swore to myself that nothing would ever matter again, that no one would ever reach me like she had.
And yet, here I was, watching Tessa with Ellana’s heart.
I should’ve felt something. Ache. The kind of pain that used to choke me every time I thought of her
name.
But instead–nothing.
It was strange. Wrong, almost. The ache was gone. In its place was only a faint echo.
I sighed, trying to shake it off. The music’s volume increased, and the chatter climbed in every corner of the hall.
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Chapter 169 Those Damn Eyes
My gaze flicked back toward her before I could stop it.
I saw her smile wide as she leaned closer toward someone else.
Owen, was it?
He was from the East, if I remembered correctly.
Her head tipped back, her lips parted, that sound spilling free.
I froze before shaking my head.
Whatever. Not my business.
If he liked her, fine.
He wasn’t subtle about it. It was obvious as daylight. And if she liked him back, then good. That was her choice. None of my concern.
None of it mattered.
I reached for my drink again, only to realize the glass wasn’t there. My brow furrowed until a hand slide into my peripheral vision, setting it down gently on the table.
“Absent–minded, aren’t you?” Zaria’s voice chimed beside me.
I glanced at her. She was smiling, her gown a swirl of silver that glittered under the chandeliers. “Thanks,” I muttered before wrapping my fingers around the glass. It was cool against my palm. I lifted it and swallowed the contents in one go. The burn hit my throat instantly, calming down as I set the glass down.
“You’ve changed,” Zaria said, tilting her head, her gaze too knowing. “Handsome. In a rough sort of way.”
I said nothing.
Her words slid past me like oil, not sinking in. I’d heard them before from countless mouths.
I pressed my fingers against my temple, squeezing my eyes shut for half a beat.
“Rowan?” Zaria’s voice again, laced with something like curiosity. Or maybe concern.
The ache spread, a pulse behind my eyes. The room felt warmer, the music louder. It was too much.
I pushed up from my seat, ignoring her hand as it brushed my arm. “Water,” I muttered. My throat was dry, my chest tighter than it should’ve been.
Without another glance back, I headed toward the edge of the hall, toward the serving tables where crystal pitchers gleamed under soft light.
I hadn’t even reached the dispenser yet when a hand caught mine.
It wasn’t just a touch–it was a grip that sent an electric pulse all through me, the kind of spark I hadn’t felt in years. My body stiffened, my heart stumbling in its rhythm. I turned, and she was standing there.
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Chapter 169 Those Damn Eyes
Tessa’s throat bobbed as she cleared it softly, trying to cover the awkwardness.
“It’s tap water,” she said, placing a cool bottle into my free hand. “You don’t like the taste of tap water.
I frowned, staring at her, not sure whether to be thrown off more by her sudden nearness or by the fact that she was right.
I had no memory of ever telling her something so small and insignificant–at least not in the years since we’ve been aware of each other’s presence.
My mind flickered back to a hazy memory of my younger self pushing away a glass of water at some gathering, muttering something about the metallic taste. Back then, it was nothing.
I opened the bottled water and placed it to my lips, humming when I felt the smooth taste hit my throat. My chest tightened. Why the hell would she still remember something like that?
I looked at her, and it was a mistake. The music and chatter around us dulled into static the second my gaze locked with hers.
Up close, she was something else. Damn. She was prettier than I remembered. Her eyes looked like they were pulling every defense I had left, piece by piece. Her lashes trembled slightly as she blinked, and F hated how I noticed every detail, like my brain was burning her into my memory.
“Can we talk, please?” she asked, her voice soft and pleading. “It’s long overdue, Rowan.”
The words should have been simple. A question. An opening. But my head was already a mess.
Her fingers were still brushing against mine, and that was worse. My skin burned where she’d touched me, even though it was barely anything. I felt like I was swaying, even though my feet were firmly planted.
I wanted to answer her. Maybe I even wanted to say yes. But the pressure inside my chest was unbearable, and if I stayed another second looking into her eyes, I wasn’t sure what would spill out.
So I did the only thing I could do.
I raised a hand between us. Without a word, I turned and walked away. My steps felt heavier than they should have as I pushed past the crowd, their laughter and perfume thick in the air.
The bathroom door shut behind me with a hollow thud, and only then did I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
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