Chapter 8
Chapter 8:
My eyes had to be deceiving me, because I didn’t want to believe that Isla had been here alone with some strange guy who looked like he wanted to devour her body alive.
The way he stared at her skin—and at the necklace I had gifted her—made my stomach turn. Sure, he was handsome, but he lacked the decency and subtlety to keep his eyes from raking all over her body. Eyes I wanted to dig out and feed to Ryder, my German Shepherd.
“Hey Sandra, Ethan, Asher, meet Dominic.” Isla blushed, gesturing between the three of us and this stranger. If it weren’t for his polished face and fashionableclothes, I wouldn’t have even considered shaking his hand when he extended it toward me.
“I’m happy to finally meet you all. Isla here said you guys gave her the best birthday surprise this year p>
Sandra giggled. I snapped my gaze to Isla, disbelief hitting me. Dominic already knew it was her birthday?
Just then, his phone rang. For once, I silently prayed the call would drag him the hell away from here.
We listened to him mutter a few short phrases—”Alright,” and “Wait for me”—before he ended the call.
“Uhm, guys, I’m sorry, but I have to be somewhere important right now.” He apologized, then turned to Isla. Sliding his hand into the breast pocket of his blue vintage shirt, he pulled out a business card. My eyes widened as he handed it to her.
“This is my business card, Isla. I don’t know if you’ll call me, but I’m hoping you do. I had a great time with you today, and I’d like us to keep in touch, if you wish p>
Wait. Was this guy seriously hitting on Isla right now?
Sandra giggled again, and I had to stop myself from snapping at her. She was always the one pushing Isla toward dating, and now I was one hundred percent sure she was swimming in joy at the thought of Isla finally getting a chance with someone.
Someone who I desperately wanted to be me.
It took a brief, silent moment, but Isla finally accepted the card, and I felt my heart squeeze. I didn’t know which hurt more: watching her blush as she took it from him, or watching Dominic ogle her body—especially the necklace I had given her. This guy needed to get the fuck out.
At last, he turned and walked away. The door to the bar closed, and Sandra immediately unleashed another stomach-wrenching giggle.
Couldn’t she tone it down?
“Isla! Finally! Oh my God, he is so fucking handsome. You hit the jackpot, baby! I can’t even be mad at you for leaving us at the table to meet this guy. I swear, he’s worth it p>
Ethan coughed, and I could tell my friend was drowning in his own wave of jealousy at hearing Sandra praise Dominic like he was some Mister World.
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 gⱯ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⨁𝗰𝗈𝗺
If only he knew my ocean of jealousy was much larger and far deeper than his.
I watched him wrap his arms around Sandra’s waist. “Come on, baby, you’re making me jealous with all that hype p>
Sandra smiled and turned to kiss him. “He could never be like you, Ethan. You’re the best p>
Ugh. I was getting sick of watching them act like they were filming some Romeo and Juliet movie.
“Hey guys,” Isla’s voice cut into their cuddling, drawing their attention back to her. From the sigh that slipped past her lips, I could tell she was as tired of them as I was.
“Guys, thank you for today. For the food. For everything. I love you all so much—I honestly wouldn’t know what to do without you. Thank you for making this day special for me p>
“Awwn, stop making me blush,” Sandra chimed in, making me wish I had the crown to coronate her as the queen of drama.
She hugged Isla, and after a few seconds, her hands dragged Ethan and me by our shirts into the embrace. Group hugs were pretty common among us, especially on occasions like Isla’s birthday or when we celebrated each other’s achievements.
moments later, we pulled apart. I straightened the spot on my shirt where Sandra had yanked me into the hug earlier. That girl knew how to drag people into things.
And I knew for sure that Sandra would definitely try to convince Isla to give this Dominic guy a chance.
Isla’s phone pinged. It had to be a message—her phone only pinged when one came in.
“Alright, guys, I’m so sorry, but I need to get going now,” she announced.
“So soon?” Sandra asked, disappointment written all over her face.
“I have to prepare for my next court hearing tomorrow,” Isla replied.
“Ok then.” Sandra scratched her neck, her expression sour, like she had bitten into a grape. “I’ll ask the staff to pack up the remaining food and wine. God, I can’t believe you didn’t taste anything because of that handsome guy p>
“Stop it, Sandra,” Isla shot back. “He is handsome, but that doesn’t mean he’s my type p>