The Girl He Left Behind Chapter 01

The Girl He Left Behind Chapter 01

Evan Sterling had been missing two months when I saw him on the street.

He was with his friends, wearing that same arrogant expression.

“Evan, this whole ‘disappearing’ act of yours—even we barely get to see you anymore.”

“Can’t help it.” Evan shrugged lazily. “Iris is too clingy, too controlling. She needed a lesson.”

“Whose idea was the disappearing act, anyway?”

“Mine!” The girl beside Evan raised her chin proudly.

“You really think his brain could come up with something that genius? He needed me for that.”

“All right, all right, you’re the best.” Evan said, with a doting smile.

I recognized her. Celeste Drake—the only girl in Evan’s inner circle.

“But isn’t this a bit much? Won’t Iris get suspicious?”

“I’ve got Caspian covering for me. She won’t suspect a thing.”

Everyone nodded knowingly.

“Ah, that explains it. With Caspian backing the story, who would doubt it?”

“Gotta give it to Caspian, man’s reliable.”

Celeste scoffed. “It’s because Iris is stupid.”

I waited for Evan to defend me.

Instead, he murmured softly: “Exactly. She’s nowhere near as clever or pretty as you.”

The others immediately started teasing them, as if this were an old routine.

“Dude, why don’t you two just date already? Why bother looking for a girlfriend elsewhere?”

“I don’t poach from my own pond,” Evan said.

“Screw you, as if I’d want you either,” Celeste shot back.

They bantered with mock disgust, but under the table, their legs brushed against each other in a rhythmic, intimate rhythm.

Toward the end, someone asked: “You can’t stay ‘missing’ forever. Evan, when are you planning to go back?”

“Waiting,” Evan said, oozing confidence.

“I’ll go back when Iris is desperate enough.”