Chapter 7 End Of A Spark

◇ "Didn't think you'd show up." "Why not?" Kel glanced at the well-dressed guy in front of her and frowned. She watched him hold back a smile, appreciating the subtle scent of his cologne when he stepped closer to pull out a chair for her. "I just thought..." Drew sighed before he sat on the chair beside hers, their table being for four people. "Never mind. How was the shoot?" "Fine. The photographer was nice." Kel couldn't help glancing around to make sure their current anonymity was nothing to be concerned about. She eyed his wrinkled long sleeves that hid most of his pale muscular arms. His straight and dark hair also looked quite unkempt, his short bangs jutting in different directions. "Why're you still here?" Her straightforwardness made him back away to regard her expression, his brows creasing now. "Wanted to talk to you." Right. They had a lot of long, serious talks to cross off his list. According to her own hunches, at least. For now she wouldn't refute his reason. She only agreed to meet up with him tonight to once and for all deal with their issues. Then maybe he'd finally leave Milan and go back to his busy Hollywood life. Heaven forbid his fans would think she was dragging him down again... "You like it here?" Drew mumbled while they exchanged uncertain stares. His gaze flitted to her hand on the table and back to her poker face. "Yeah. A bit more expensive, but, I can manage." "So now, you live with Miles?" His calm but curious tone made her smile a little. Did his idea to hire private investigators (yep, plural) turn out to be a total ripoff? Not that money would be an issue for a rising movie star like him. But if he still wasn't aware of her living situation with Miles, then he should definitely consider a refund. "They dug through everything but couldn't give me your exact address." "His parents," she muttered. Perhaps some intervention from Mr. Falco, Miles' influential father, made sure that the private eyes experienced difficulties pinpointing her exact location. "What?" Andrew leaned in. "His dad's quite big on security. Only son, only child." She shrugged faintly. Miles himself said so, and Miles, being the loner type, also disliked that his parents hired bodyguards for him. The security staff were pretty discreet, though. "You've met his parents?" Drew's brows furrowed. "If he's in a great mood, sometimes he calls them up." Kel reclined and watched her ex study her face. "How's med school?" "No idea." "You didn't apply?" Drew sounded disappointed now, his voice a notch higher. "Financial issues and stuff," she muttered after giving him a quick grin. "Tryin' to save up, though." Her reply didn't do much to lessen the surprise on his face. He didn't even try to get rid of his deepening frown. "Why didn't you tell me?" All she could give him in response was a half-meant shrug. Why did it matter to him? It wasn't like medical school was easy as pie to get into for someone like her. Besides tuition money, other factors in her personal life mattered, too. "If you needed money, you should've just told me." Drew sat back, his elbows now resting on the table. For a moment, he just kept his palm on his scrunched forehead. "Some point...I kept thinking, I was the one holding you back." "Don't." She sighed and glanced sideward. "You just took off," he said louder, "Wouldn't take my calls, wouldn't text me back, just left New York, and you haven't talked to me in a year. What'd you expect?" "Andrew..." "Fine. Sorry." He raised both palms and made a face. They were both quiet for a minute or two. "You met him before you left the States?" "Yeah." She looked away. Should she elaborate? What else did he want to know about her and Miles? "We've worked together before." Well, lying to him would just give her excess anxiety. She just hated it when she had to lie to someone she cared about. He wanted answers. She should just tell him what he needed to hear. "We live in a house he owns," she added after seconds of hesitation. Drew gave a faint nod while his upper lip tilted to the side. "You're that in love, huh?" A palpable sense of hurt and disappointment softened his reaction, but she chose not to dwell on it. She had a feeling he wanted to talk about the other issues, before he left Italy to leave her be. Being the toast of the town and one of Hollywood's newest stars, he sure had other commitments and even bigger responsibilities now. It was one of her reasons for leaving him. His lack of a private life these days also didn't help the situation. "He's been really helpful," she said while thinking of Miles. She was using him as an excuse again. Miles wouldn't mind, but, she needed to convince Andrew (and herself) of the fact that their involvement had to end. A platonic friendship was all she could offer him at this point. "Seems like a great guy," Drew replied, his tone unconvincingly enthusiastic this time. Kel hid her phone from his view and checked for new messages. A few from her pretend boyfriend now filled the notifications panel. 3 new messages Miles "Done with the shoot?" Today 19:32 "Want me to pick u up?" Today 20:05 "Call me. I'm w Paul & RJ." Today 20:11 Kel ignored the pang of guilt that crept into her chest. She meant to reply to Miles half an hour ago, but Drew just kept up the questions, effectively distracting her. Apparently he wanted to hang out. Bond with her. Maybe even reminisce to happier times. Not just monopolize the conversation to make her fess up to why she abruptly severed their relationship. "Does he know you're here?" Drew asked in a quieter voice, his eyes narrowing at her face. "No." Her sigh loudened after she glanced down at her phone screen. Miles probably thought she was on her way home now. "Hey. Can we..." "Yeah. I know, I know." Andrew pulled a face and straightened in his seat. "I won't keep you here." "Sorry. I just..." "No need to explain." He gave her a fake smile. "When d'you have to fly out?" "Depends." He shrugged coolly and waved at a waiter. "Depends?" Kel sat still while he held the menu. She liked how his dark lashes hid his eyes as he read the list of dishes. "On what?" "If you'd want to see me again." ◇ "He's picking you up?" Drew asked once she sat back down next to him. Around them, almost 20 people chatted and dined in this big restaurant in the heart of Milan. Thankfully, none had thrown a few curious glances to their direction. Yet. "No. He's with friends." Kel put her phone away, almost consumed by the thought of disappointing Miles. He never liked secrets, and he wouldn't like to hear about her going on a dinner date with Drew. But she just didn't want to make a big deal out of it. "Where does he live again? All I know's that he isn't from around here." "Two hours away," she answered, refusing to share any more details about Miles or his family. "Doesn't like living in the city anymore?" "He paints a lot." "Right." "Miles needs a private space to do that. His dad's from here." "Real artist. Nice," Drew said with a slight smirk. "So you're into moody, artsy guys now." "He's not moody," she replied promptly. The only time Miles became unusually reserved was when they had conversations about his parents. "How's Beth?" Andrew stared at her again, his brows scrunching now. "Fine; I guess." "You guess?" She tried not to frown. "You haven't talked to her?" "What's the point..." Drew sighed as he waved at a waiter, gesturing for a wine refill. "It's been years, D." "I know." "Why don't you call her up?" Kel muttered. Elizabeth Wells was an independent woman and a go-getter. They had yet to meet in person, but Beth didn't seem like the kind of person who liked holding grudges. Her suggestion made Drew look away. He drank his red wine in one gulp before his glass tinked against his empty dinner plate. "You don't like the food?" he asked after staring at the clump of potato salad and barely touched primavera on her plate. "I'm full." She stroked her midsection for effect. The artificial flavorings in the dressing didn't help grow her appetite, to say the least. "Thanks for dinner." "Wanna go home?" Drew leaned forward. The skin around his eyes wrinkled as he stared at her. "Not even nine yet." "I'll take the bus. I'll be home before eleven." "No." He stood up and grabbed his car keys hastily, without even bothering to look at her reaction. "I'll drive you home." ◇