Innocent cravings

Chapter 20 – Beginning of trouble

Alice's POV

The night air outside my window was unusually still. The diner had closed late, my body ached from running plates and refilling coffee cups, but there was no way I could fall asleep. Every time I shut my eyes, I saw Brian. His hand brushing my cheek. The weight of his lips against mine. The way the world seemed to stop for those few moments.

I grabbed my phone before I could talk myself out of it and dialed Sophie. She picked up on the third ring.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" she yawned, her voice muffled by what sounded like a pillow.

"Yes," I whispered, biting my lip. "But I need to tell you something."

"Spill. What happened? Did someone die? Did you kill someone? Did the coffee machine finally explode?"

I closed my eyes, pressing a hand over my face. "None of the above."

Silence. Then a suspicious narrowing of her tone: "Wait. Is this a boy thing?"

I swallowed. "Yes."

That was all it took. Sophie shot upright, at least, that's how it sounded over the phone. "ALICE Monroe" don't you dare pause on me! Tell me everything right now. Is it Brian? Please tell me it's Brian. Did he finally"

"We kissed," I blurted before she could explode further.

There was a beat of silence. Then:

"OH. MY. GOD." She shrieked so loudly I pulled the phone away from my ear. "You-you-okay, breathe, Sophie, breathe. Alice. Alice! You kissed him? Like kiss-kissed him? Not a cheek thing? Not a by-accident brush? A full-on, lip-to-lip, movie-scene, swoon-worthy..."

"Yes!" I whispered harshly, covering my face with my free hand. "It just... happened."

"'Just happened'?" Sophie repeated, scandalized. "Girl, kisses don't 'just happen.' Tripping over a shoelace just happens. Forgetting your homework just happens. Kissing Brian Montgomery, rich, hot, broody Brian who makes you melt every time he looks at you, that's fate. That's fireworks. That's-ugh!"

I groaned. "You're not helping."

"Oh, I'm helping," she said gleefully. "I'm helping by making sure you understand the gravity of this situation. Now tell me every detail. Where? How? Who leaned in first?"

I hesitated, cheeks burning as though she were in the room. "Outside the diner. After work. He walked me out, and then... we just looked at each other. And he kissed me first."

Sophie gasped. "The man finally grew a spine. Hallelujah."

"It's not that simple," I murmured, my voice small. "Clarissa is still in the picture. I don't know what he's thinking, Sophie. I don't know if I'm just-"

"Stop." Sophie's tone shifted, firm but kind. "Did it feel real?"

I shut my eyes, remembering the warmth of his hand against the small of my back, the way his lips lingered like he didn't want to let go. "Yes."

"Then it was real," Sophie said softly. "Don't let Clarissa's claws convince you otherwise. Brian has a choice to make, and honestly, I think he already made it."

A lump formed in my throat. "You think so?"

"I know so," Sophie said. "And if he doesn't, well... I've got pepper spray and a sharp tongue. He won't stand a chance."

I laughed in spite of myself. "You're ridiculous."

"Ridiculously loyal," she corrected. "Now, go to bed before I break into your apartment and force-feed you hot cocoa. We'll figure this out together, okay?"

"Okay," I whispered, feeling lighter already.

But when I finally hung up, sleep still refused to come. Because Sophie might believe it, but I wasn't sure if I did.

The campus courtyard was buzzing the next morning, sunlight spilling across the benches and chatter echoing through the crisp air. I tried to act normal, but my stomach was a tight knot.

That's when I saw her. Clarissa.

Her heels clicked against the pavement like she owned it, her sleek ponytail swaying with every confident step. And as if the universe were cruel, her eyes locked on mine.

"Well, if it isn't the little waitress," she said, lips curling in a smile that wasn't a smile.

I stiffened. "Clarissa."

"You must be confused," she said lightly, though the venom was sharp beneath her words. "See, you might think you've got something going on with Brian, but let me set the record straight."

My heart thudded painfully. "What are you talking about?"

She leaned in slightly, her perfume overwhelming, her voice dropping low enough that only I could hear. "He invited me to dinner tonight. My fiancé. We're celebrating, actually. You see, whatever game you thought you were playing? It's over. He came back to his senses. You were just... a distraction."

My breath caught. Her voice carried just enough to let others overhear, and I could already feel eyes on me.

"You see," she continued, leaning closer as if confiding a secret, "whatever silly fantasy you thought you had going with him? It's over. He came to his senses. Men like Brian don't fall for girls like you. You were just... entertainment."

Her words sliced deeper than I wanted to admit. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

She straightened, smugness dripping from every gesture. "Don't look so shocked. Did you really think you could compete with me? Tonight, when he looks across the table, it won't be you he sees, it'll be me. The woman he's supposed to marry."

The words stung like acid. My fists clenched at my sides, but I forced myself to stay calm. "Clarissa, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I know," she purred, tilting her chin. "And soon everyone will. You're not in his league, Alice. You never were."

With that, she walked off, her laughter ringing like glass shards in my ears.

I stood frozen, my chest aching, replaying every syllable until it carved into me like a blade. Sophie's words from last night"don't let Clarissa's claws convince you otherwise", suddenly felt impossible to hold onto.

Brian's POV – Dinner

The restaurant glowed with warm lights, every table dressed in crisp linen and crystal glasses. I'd chosen it deliberately: upscale, neutral, impossible for Clarissa to cause a scene without drawing stares.

She arrived fashionably late, of course. Her dress shimmered with sequins, her hair falling in glossy waves, her smile calculated.

"Brian," she said sweetly, brushing a kiss against my cheek as if we hadn't been drifting for months. "You look wonderful."

I stood, polite, offering her a seat. "Clarissa."

We ordered. She chatted endlessly about her week-shopping trips, her parents' charity gala, the 'stress' of planning for our supposed engagement party. I listened, nodding, but my mind was elsewhere. Alice's laugh. Alice's eyes. The taste of her lips.

"...and I think we should have the floral arrangements flown in from Italy," Clarissa was saying. "Nothing less will do. Don't you agree?"

I set my wine glass down slowly. "Clarissa, we need to talk."

Her smile faltered. "About what?"

"About us."

For the first time that evening, silence stretched across the table. Her fingers tightened around her fork. "What about us?"

I took a breath, steady, certain. "This isn't working. It hasn't been working for a long time. I can't keep pretending."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're breaking up with me. Here? Over dinner?"

"Yes," I said firmly. "Because it's the truth."

She let out a sharp laugh, the sound brittle. "You think you can just throw me away? After everything? After our families...

"I don't care about our families' plans," I cut in, my voice low but strong. "I'm done living someone else's life. I want something real, Clarissa. And this... this isn't it."

Her face crumbled, rage and desperation flashing in equal measure. "You'll regret this. I'll tell my parents. The cooperation will end. Everything we built together..."

"I don't care," I repeated, standing. As long as I'm concerned you only need me to build your social life. I'm done being used by you or anyone.

"Walk away with dignity, Clarissa. Or don't. But this is over."

I left her sitting there, her perfect nails digging into the tablecloth, her perfect smile shattered.

Clarissa's POV

The restaurant spun around me, blurred by fury and humiliation. My hands trembled as I lifted my glass, pretending to sip though my throat burned.

He couldn't mean it. He couldn't.

Brian was mine. He always had been. Our families, our names, our futures, they all aligned. I had planned it for years. I was his future. He couldn't leave me just like that.

And yet... he had walked out. For her.

Alice. The nobody waitress. The girl with tired eyes and a soft laugh.

I slammed my glass down, ignoring the startled looks from nearby diners. No. I would not let this happen.

If Brian thought he could leave me, if he thought he could replace me with someone like her, he was wrong.

I would never let him go.

Never.