Our Accidental Forever
Chapter 84: Late Night Confession

Chapter 84: Late Night Confession

I nodded, words failing me, and watched as he disappear down the hall, the warmth of his gaze and the brief touch of his hand lingered like an aftertaste I couldn’t shake off.

It was as if the night had imprinted itself on my heart, leaving me caught in the strange space between the familiar and the unknown. I didn’t know what to feel, but I knew one thing: I needed to talk to Kate.

I made my way to the couch, sinking into its plush cushions as I pulled out my phone.

I’d meant to call her before the date, but Joanne’s unexpected invitation had derailed me. Now, though, I couldn’t wait to tell Kate everything. She’d know what to make of this. Or at the very least, she’d have a few jokes to lighten my muddled mind.

The phone rang twice before Kate picked up, her voice bright and warm. "Ella! Finally! I was beginning to think you’d fallen off the edge of the earth. How’s our baby and Mr. Tall, Rich, and Mysterious?"

I could practically see her grinning through the phone, and it made me smile despite the confusion swirling in my chest. "Kate... I was... I don’t even know where to start," I admitted, rubbing my temple as I leaned back. "He just called me out of the blue and asked me to join him for a night out. Casual, he called it, but... I don’t know."

I trailed off, and Kate let out an excited squeal that was both endearing and a little too loud. "Oh, come on! ’Casual’? Really? Ella, from what you’ve told me, Arec does not do casual. Everything about him is all sharp suits and calculated moves. He doesn’t just ask someone to hang out without some reason."

"Well, that’s exactly what he did." I could hear the defensiveness in my voice as if I were trying to convince myself just as much as her. "And besides, it’s not like it was anything serious. He was just... different tonight. Relaxed. Actually, almost charming."

I sighed, and Kate’s delighted giggle echoed through the phone. "Different, huh? So, tell me more. Was it different as in a sweet night out, or different as in the whole ’fake relationship’ is turning into something more... real? I mean, you’ve already got a real baby on the way, Ella. Why not a real date? A real marriage? A real husband?"

"Kate," I groaned, unable to help the smile tugging at my lips. "It’s not like that! This was... it was nice, okay? But that doesn’t mean it was a date-date. And real marriage? Real husband? I don’t know what you’re thinking."

"Oh, I know exactly what I’m thinking," she countered, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "I’m thinking that you’re falling for him, even if you don’t realize it yet."

My cheeks warmed, and I was grateful she couldn’t see the flush creeping up my neck. "Kate, that’s... no. It’s complicated. I don’t think I’m... I mean, it’s just hard to tell where things stand. Arec’s not exactly an open book, you know?"

"Well, maybe he’s opening up a few pages for you now," Kate mused. "And tell me, Miss ’I’m Not Falling for Him,’ did you feel anything when he looked at you tonight? Did your heart flutter just a little?"

I laughed, though it felt shaky. "You’re making way too much of this."

"Am I?" she pressed, not willing to let me off the hook that easily. "Ella, come on. You’ve been in this contract engagement with him for weeks now, and you’re carrying his baby. That’s no small connection. There’s bound to be something deeper, something real underneath it all."

"Maybe..." I trailed off, chewing my lip. "Maybe I’ve started to feel something for him. But Kate, he’s Arec. He keeps things so guarded. I don’t even know if he’s capable of feeling... of opening up like that."

"You don’t give him enough credit," Kate replied, her voice softening. "People can surprise you, Ella. And honestly, you’re more surprised than anyone by how much this night affected you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have called me to spill all the details."

I sighed, knowing she was right. "I guess... I just don’t want to let myself read too much into it. What if I’m imagining things that aren’t there? What if I end up... hurt?"

Kate’s voice was gentle but firm. "Ella, you’ve been through so much already. You’re strong enough to handle a little heartache. But at the same time, you deserve to be happy. You deserve to feel loved. And maybe, just maybe, Arec feels the same way. I mean, what if tonight was his way of testing the waters?"

"Testing the waters?" I repeated, feeling a strange flutter in my stomach at the thought. "You think he might actually... have feelings for me?"

"Why not?" she challenged. "I mean, he chose to be with you tonight instead of anywhere else. And he didn’t have to go out of his way to make it feel special, but he did. That means something."

I thought back to the way he’d looked at me across the table, the softness in his gaze that I hadn’t noticed before. It was as if, for the first time, he was really seeing me, not just as his fiancée in a contractual sense, but as... something more.

"I just don’t know, Kate," I whispered, feeling the uncertainty sink in again. "It scares me to think of getting closer to him, of actually hoping for something real. I don’t want to end up hurt."

Kate’s voice was reassuring, a balm to my worries. "You know, Ella, sometimes the things that scare us the most are the things we need the most. Maybe it’s time to let yourself hope a little. Explore these feelings. See where it leads."

Her words stayed with me, echoing in my mind as I processed everything. It was true, I’d been so afraid of letting my guard down, of allowing myself to feel something more for Arec. But tonight had shaken something loose in me, something I wasn’t sure I could ignore anymore.

"Maybe you’re right," I murmured, more to myself than to Kate. "Maybe... I need to stop holding back."

"Exactly," she agreed, her tone triumphant. "And who knows? Maybe Arec’s feeling just as conflicted as you are. Maybe he’s just waiting for a sign from you."

The thought sent a thrill through me, though I tried to push it down. But Kate’s words stayed with me long after we hung up, wrapping around my heart like a secret promise.

There was a part of me, buried deep beneath the doubt and fear, that wanted to believe it could be real, that Arec and I could be something more than just a contract.