Elusive Love Read Online Free Page A

never realized what a low opinion you had of yourself,” Ethan said.
    I stared at him, shocked by his words. “What is that supposed to mean?”
    “You needed Joey’s attention to feel validated. You’re a pretty girl, Caley, and you’re one of the smartest girls I’ve ever met. You shouldn’t feel the way you do about yourself.”
    “I hate myself,” I told him, surprised that I was being so honest. “I hate the way I look, and I hate the way things have turned out in my life. I wish I could be smarter, prettier, and just overall better.”
    “Low self-esteem is something a lot of girls have. I’ve never understood why,” he said, like it was a fact, no condescension in his tone.
    I shrugged. “I’ve always felt this way. Joey dulled the hate for a while, but now that things are so horrid between us, it’s come back tenfold.”
    “What happened to you guys?” he asked.
    “Life,” I told him. “We grew up. Neither of us are the same people we were when we were in high school. We are two totally different people. If I say blue, he says orange. If I want one kind of food, he wants another. We fight over everything, and it breaks my heart. At first, it was just over little things, but then the little things turned into bigger things. Now, we’re at the point where everything is just one big battle.”
    “I can’t help but ask, if you two fight so much, why did you have a child together?”
    “Things improved for a while. We go through cycles. We bicker for a few months, and then we wage all-out war against each other for a few months. Then, we get along for a while before it starts all over again.
    “When I found out I was pregnant with Amelia, we were in a good place. By the time I had her, it was war again. She settled us for a few months, but now, we’re right back to despising each other. The only time we don’t fight is when I’m drinking. He’s too busy helping me get drunk to disagree with me.”
    “Wait, why does he help you get drunk?” Ethan asked, stupefied.
    “Because he gets laid when I’m drunk. It’s the only time I want to touch him,” I said bluntly.
    “Oh, wow,” he mumbled.
    I chuckled. “God, I can’t believe I’m telling you all of this. I don’t even know you anymore.”
    Ethan grinned, and for some strange reason, I felt my heart flutter in my chest.
    “You’ve never really known me, Caley. We were friends before, but we weren’t best friends or even super close.”
    “Then, why in the world am I sitting in a car with you in the middle of nowhere, telling you all my marital problems?”
    “I just have that kind of face?” he joked.
    “Maybe,” I said. I paused for a moment. “I trust you, Ethan. I don’t know why, but I do. I’ve needed someone like you, a friend—or maybe confidant is a better word—for a really long time. I’ve felt so alone.”
    He reached over and grasped my arm, surprising me. “I can be whatever you need me to be. I’m here for you.”
    “Thanks,” I whispered. “That means a lot.”
    He released my arm and smiled over at me. “I never realized how much I missed talking with you until you messaged me the other night. We used to get along really well back when I was with Andrea. I hated how you started ignoring me after she’d broken up with me.”
    “I didn’t ignore you!” I said, my words sounding harsher than I had intended. “We were getting ready to graduate and leave our high school friends behind. I knew I would probably never see you again, so I didn’t try to hang on to a doomed friendship. Plus, Joey hated when I spoke to the few male friends I had. I didn’t want to start an argument with him.”
    “So, he was a controlling dick even back then?” Ethan said.
    “Yeah, I guess he was. He just wasn’t so harsh about it when I was still in high school. He certainly doesn’t try to hide his controlling side now though.”
    “What do you mean?”
    I chewed on my lip for a moment. I knew that Joey’s