After he played the last few notes, Alexander stepped off the stage to thunderous applause. He walked toward Mo and Kiera’s table, almost breaking down upon seeing Kiera’s tear-stained eyes. “I need to take off guys,” he said, a lump in his throat.

“Well, have a Merry Christmas, Alex,” Mo said, shaking his hand.

“Thanks. You, too.” He turned to leave the bar and was met by fierce brown eyes standing near the door.

“Who’s your Eve, Alex?” Chelsea asked quietly, the hurt in her voice evident after hearing Alexander sing the song, clearly thinking about Olivia and calling her the apple of his eye.

“Chelsea…” he said, taking a step toward her. “How did you…”

“What? Know that you’d be here?” she spat out, her eyes wide with fury. “I followed you here, Alex. You don’t tell me anything. You say that you love me, yet you lie about some bullshit meeting. Did you not think I would figure it out when you make up the same excuse every Thursday night?”

Alexander looked down.

“Please, Alex,” she begged, her voice soft. “Just answer me. Who’s your Eve?”

He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry, Chelsea,” he said, grabbing onto her arms, his eyes blazing into hers. “I really am. I just needed to do that for me. So I can move on. Olivia was my past. You’re my future. I know that now. I do.” He was surprised at the words coming out of his mouth. He had never given too much thought to his future with Chelsea before, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

A smile crept across his face and he dragged her body flush with his, calming her fears before continuing, “I guess, in a way, she’ll always be my Eve. She’ll always be the one girl who got away. That’s why I had to do that song. To remind myself that she isn’t the girl for me. She only brings me down.” He pulled back, staring into Chelsea’s eyes. “Being with you has made me realize that the entire time I was with her, I was sinking. I’m so sorry you had to see that,” he whispered, his voice soft and pleading for forgiveness.

Chelsea wrapped her arms around him, sighing as she took in the warmth of his body. “No. I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I should never have doubted you. I just get nervous sometimes that you’re slipping away from me. I know these past few months haven’t been easy on you, but you have to know that I’ll never leave you. I love you, Alex.” She looked into his eyes, desperate for him to see how much she truly cared for him.

He planted a deep kiss on her lips. “I love you, too, Miss Wellington. Now, let’s get out of here.” He winked, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the bar. He knew he had strong feelings for Chelsea, but was it love? He couldn’t be sure. But, at the same time, he didn’t want to lose her. He cared about her quite a bit. He was surprised how quickly he fell for her once he realized she wanted something more than just an occasional hook-up. He enjoyed her company, but that feeling of electricity running through his body anytime she touched him was missing. She wasn’t Olivia.

Olivia would always be the one he cherished above all others, the apple of his eye, but she pushed him away. Chelsea was the type of girl he could see himself spending the rest of his life with. Even though they had only been dating for a few months, he had known Chelsea for nearly a decade. She was ready for the next step.

And maybe he should be, too.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

LAST NIGHT

ON NEW YEAR’S DAY, Olivia lay on her couch, her tank top and gym shorts no longer fitting properly. She clutched onto Nepenthe, desperate for him to work his magic and take away her sorrow. For the past few weeks, she had remained a relative recluse in her little beach cottage. Hoping to avoid Cam, she no longer took her coffee on the front porch. Instead, she tortured herself nearly day and night, looking at photos of Alexander on the internet.

New photos poured in on an almost daily basis. Her heart would catch in her throat once in a while when she stumbled across a photo of her and Alexander that had been taken early in their relationship. But she was now just a footnote in his life, reporters never even finding out her name. She didn’t want to be in his life. She had to keep reminding herself of that.

As she started to drift off to sleep, she heard a loud banging on the door. Olivia remained on her couch, refusing to get up and answer. The banging continued. After several minutes, she got up, swearing as she swung open the door.

“Hey. There you are,” Cam said, a wild look in his eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked, taking in Olivia’s disheveled appearance, wondering if she had heard the news. When he received the text from Elsie that afternoon, he quickly jumped in his car, speeding through town to Olivia’s house, hoping she had no idea.

As Cam's eyes surveyed her body, Olivia immediately felt self-conscious. In the back of her mind, she tried to remember the last time she showered. Her face felt oily and she was sure the grease in her hair would give the Exxon-Valdez spill a run for its money.

“I’m fine, Cam.” She started to close the door.

“Hey. Hold on,” he said. “I thought maybe you’d want to go have oysters or something later. We can watch the shrimp boats come in. It’ll be fun.”

Oysters. Why was it always oysters? “No, thank you.” Olivia tried to close the door again, but Cam put his hand on the jam, preventing her from closing it all the way. He regretted leaving things the way he did all those weeks ago. He should have kept a better eye on her but, for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to knock on her door each and every morning. He would drive up, walk up the stairs, and just stand on her deck. Now, looking at how broken she looked, he regretted his decision. She needed a friend and he failed.

“Listen, Libby. I know things have been off for you since the last time we, well, ya’ know.” He looked at her, hoping she would open up to him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, Cam. I don’t want to talk about it. All I’ve done my entire life is fucking talk about it and, well, I’m all talked out. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to crawl back into my hole and return to my future of being the crazy cat lady.”

“Okay. I was just trying to be a friend.” Cam took a step back and stared at her, not knowing how to react. “We don’t have to talk. I can just keep you company.”

“That’s what Nepenthe is here for. Have a nice day.” She turned around and Cam took in her side view.