She Won't Forgive - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Camila gave her a reassuring look. "I don't think he'd go that far. He may be a jerk, but he wouldn't raise a hand to a woman."
Jasmin snorted, "Well, that's debatable. But trust me—when men snap, they don't care whether you're a man or a woman."
Not wanting to talk about Noel anymore, Camila changed the subject. "I'm thinking of renting a place near the music studio."
"You're moving out?" Jasmin asked.
Camila nodded. "Yeah. It's just more convenient for work. And it doesn't feel right to keep crashing at your place forever."
"I don't mind at all. You can stay as long as you want. But honestly, your commute is kind of a nightmare. A cab takes like forty or fifty minutes, and if you take the subway, you've gotta transfer back and forth. It's exhausting."
"That's why I'm thinking of moving somewhere closer. It'll save me all that commuting time."
"So, have you found a place yet?"
Camila shook her head. "Not yet. I'm gonna check a few listings online first."
"Okay. I'll reach out to the agency that helped me find this place," Jasmin offered. "They've got tons of listings and decent connections. They might be able to hook you up."
Camila smiled, "That'd be great."
Night fell, and the bar lights bathed everything in a haze of red and gold. Noel had been restless all afternoon. Camila's cold, distant stare kept flashing through his mind, and after work, he wandered into the first bar he saw.
By the time Luke found him, a pile of empty bottles littered the floor.
"Damn," Luke muttered, stepping into the private room and shooing away the women clinging to Noel. "What's going on, Noel? Why are you drinking alone like this?"
Noel didn't say a word and just kept tossing back drink after drink.
"Noel?" Luke glanced at his stormy expression and instantly knew he was in a bad mood. "Who pissed you off? I haven't seen you like this in ages." He thought Noel looked downright scary like this.
It took a while before Noel finally spoke, "Tell me, isn't she a bitch? When I ignored her, she was all over me like a simp. The second I gave her some attention, she turned around and gave me attitude."
Luke instantly caught on who he was talking about. "So, Camila still hasn't come crawling back, huh?"
Then he snorted, "Playing hardball now? Guess she's gunning for the big one."
Noel shot him a look. "The big one?"
"You know. Waiting for you to get down on your knees, beg her to come back to you," Luke said with contempt. "That's how those drama queens always play it."
Noel gave a cold laugh. "She wishes."
"Exactly. When you spoil them, they just get bolder." Luke grabbed one of the bottles on the table and lifted it. "Come on, Noel. I'll drink with you. We're not going home sober tonight."
As the night dragged on, Noel got drunk. When Shirley got Luke's message, she rushed over to the bar. "Luke, where's Noey?" she asked.
Luke was already tipsy, swaying on his feet as he headed toward the men's room.
When he spotted Shirley, he pointed toward the private room. "Over there. He had a few shots of the hard stuff. He's wasted. Go take care of him. I need to pee."
Inside, she saw Noel slouched on the sofa, his shirt wrinkled, his tie hanging loose around his neck. There was something reckless about the way he looked—unkempt and dangerously alluring.
She adored him like this. Her eyes filled with infatuation, she walked over and quietly sat down beside him, gently brushing her fingers across his handsome face. In a soft, low voice, she murmured, "Noey?"
Noel was floating in a fog of liquor, his limbs heavy, his head light. As Shirley's soft voice called to him, he thought it was Camila.
His eyes fluttered open, unfocused, and when he saw a figure before him, he smiled faintly and pulled her into his arms. "Cami, you came," he muttered.
Shirley fell silent. Her expression soured in an instant, jealousy and fury flashing in her eyes.