Chapter 382: Lines and Limits

What Ellis didn't realize was that, while she ignored Easton the entire ride, he kept glancing at her repeatedly. In his eyes was a kind of open, unmistakable affection—so sincere that anyone who saw it wouldn't be able to look away.

Once they got out of the car, Ellis was ready to go her own way. But, of course, Easton followed her into the same elevator. She’d been ignoring him for a while now and was planning to shoot him a glare—only to see him looking down, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted in a quiet smile, as if secretly amused by something.

It caught her off guard. Instead of glaring, she found herself watching him curiously. Right then, Easton looked up and met her gaze, his eyes full of unfiltered joy.

Why does he look so pleased all of a sudden? That faint heat of anger rose inside her. His cheerful mood only made his behavior seem more baffling.

What the hell is he so happy about? But she didn’t bother asking. She didn’t wait to know. As soon as the elevator stopped at her floor, she walked out quickly and left him behind.

At least Easton had the sense not to follow her all the way. But then he spoke.

“See you next time.”

His tone was too cheerful to ignore. Ellis turned back, frowned, and gave him a long look from head to toe.

“You take the wrong meds today?”

Was making her miserable really that satisfying to him!

“Nope,” Easton answered while calmly pressing the elevator’s close button. As the doors slowly shut between them, his smile faded, but the love in his eyes remained—and so did that quiet sense of satisfaction.

Back in the day, he never would have believed that simply being in the same space with the person you love—doing nothing, saying nothing, just knowing they’re near—could feel this fulfilling.

Standing outside her front door, Ellis stared at the elevator for a second, her face darkening.

“Freak,” she muttered under her breath before unlocking the door and walking inside.

As evening neared, the sun was mostly hidden behind thick clouds, its light dimmed. Ellis rested on the couch, scrolling through food delivery apps while checking new WhatsApp messages.

“I’m coming home tonight. I brought something good for you! [image.jpgl”

Reading the message, Ellis frowned slightly. Maya said earlier she wasn’t coming home tonight. What changed?

Maya hadn’t expected a reply—just wanted to give Ellis a heads-up. Right after hitting send, she put her phone away, grabbed the food a server had packed up for her, and told Cameron goodbye.

“Wait,” Cameron stood when he saw her leaving without looking back. “Weren’t we spending the night together?”

“Change of plans. Let’s reschedule.” Maya had originally agreed to spend the night with him, but something Cameron said…

1:01 PM

Chapter 382: Lines and Limits

To top it off, they’d just run into Morty at the restaurant. Knowing he was chasing Ellis, and that Ellis was still being hounded by her ex, Maya didn’t want to get tangled in the mess. Better to bail before Morty comes over and uses some work excuse to corner me again. She didn’t want to stay out any longer. Better to go home, eat with Ellis, and dive back into work.

“Huh?” Cameron blinked as Maya walked away, visibly confused. He noticed someone approaching and quickly straightened up, putting on a neutral expression.

“Hey bro,” he said to Morty. “You—”

Morty’s eyes drifted toward the entrance, catching the last glimpse of Maya’s fast-disappearing figure. He cut Cameron off.

“You and Maya that close! Coming out to dinner together?”

Close enough, and yeah—it was kind of a date. Cameron didn’t deny it. He gave Morty a look—subtle, but not hard to read.

Morty got it immediately. You’re seriously trying to hook up with Ellis’s best friend! You got no self-control, man.

“I haven’t known Maya that long, and we’re not that close yet. Calling it eating where I work doesn’t quite fit, does it?” Cameron didn’t think he was crossing any lines. They were both adults. Fully aware of what they were doing.

“She’s Ellis’s best friend,” Morty pointed at Cameron’s forehead. “Don’t mess this up.”

Cameron had met Maya through Morty—she’d taken him on as a client. But now that their relationship had gone beyond business, Morty was worried. If Cameron screwed up and hurt Maya somehow, and Morty had been the one to connect them, Ellis might take it out on him.

“I know exactly who she is to Ellis. Cameron had already known that—he’d attended Easton and Ellis’s wedding back then. Maya had been Ellis’s best friend since childhood. Basically family.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“If you ever do, I’ll be the first to come after you.”

“You two officially dating yet?” Morty asked, interpreting Cameron’s earlier look as a sign that he was either chasing Maya or about to succeed.

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