Read Online The Cinderella Project (A Comedy of Love, #1) by Stan Crowe - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stan Crowe
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that.”
Men are expected to face fear without flinching, to stand strong in dangerous situations, so why did I find myself casting about for a quick escape route when I found Ella waiting on my doorstep at 1:33 a.m. that Saturday morning?
“It’s two a.m., Nicholas,” she said quietly, her teeth chattering slightly.
“Let’s get inside.” I took off my jacket and made to put it around her shoulders. Instead, she just stood and stepped away quickly. The pale moonlight etched her scowl into her normally beautiful face.
“Where have you been all night?” she said, eyes narrowed. “Where have you been this entire week ?”
Great. Here it was. I decided to dodge the question and ignore her exaggeration.
“Where? I’ve been so busy with my project and missing you, Els.”
She looked at me as if I’d just told her I’d been golfing with Santa Claus.
“I’m serious, Nicholas. It was bad enough that you didn’t get home until midnight, last Monday. But now? Every night this entire week? Something’s up. I know it.”
Then she surprised me. “What’s her name?” Cold. Matter-of-fact tone. There was no way this conversation would end well.
“‘Her ’ who?” I said, sounding as confused as possible.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Nicky. You’ve been hanging with some little floozy , pretending that you’re doing research. She’s probably some hot little secretary from the college who took a chance on a mini-skirt because she knew you wouldn’t be able to resist.”
Okay, now that was completely unfair, not to mention entirely untrue. I was so stunned that she’d accuse me of anything of the sort that I couldn’t do anything but stand there, staring.
“I knew it. I just knew it,” she half-squealed and her eyes began to mist. “We’re not even married and I’m already being replaced! Oh, Nicky, say it’s not true!”
Where had this come from?
“Els? Have you been getting enough sleep, lately? You’re not sounding like yourself tonight.”
“Oh, so suddenly it’s my problem? What happened to you, Nick?”
No. I was going to end this one right now. “Ella? Look at me.”
She did.
“Hey, I’m not sure where you got the idea that I was cheating on you, but I’m looking you straight in the eyes and telling you that it’s not true. If you don’t know by now just how serious my commitment to you is, then I honestly don’t know how to prove it to you.
“Ever since we started dating, I’ve kept my heart focused on you , despite the fact that there are ten thousand other girls on this campus that aren’t altogether hideous.”
“You’ve been counting them? What, do you have some kind of catalogue?”
I sighed. The comment didn’t deserve a direct response. “Look, Ella, I’ve conducted the kind of experiments on girls that many men couldn’t handle without making some kind of moral mistake and I’ve managed to do it with so much professionalism that I’ve had girls refer their friends to me, because they trusted me that much.
“When I put that ring on your finger that was my way of saying I was bound to you. To you Ella. Not to some other girl.”
Her face closed and she looked at the ground.
I sighed. “When I get done with the lab, where do I go first?”
“My place,” she murmured, still not meeting my gaze.
“That’s right. Even though my apartment is in the opposite direction. Even though I’m dog tired and would love to collapse into bed, I come here to be with you , who I have been away from all day. All that work I do? Who do you think I’m doing it for? Don’t you think I’d rather be spending time with the woman I love than making notes and reading lame romance novels for the sixteenth time? Don’t you think I’d rather be gnoshing on homemade enchiladas fresh from your kitchen, than dropping quarters in a vending machine or going on nothing at all?
“I go to work at six in the morning, love. And yet, I still come here
Men are expected to face fear without flinching, to stand strong in dangerous situations, so why did I find myself casting about for a quick escape route when I found Ella waiting on my doorstep at 1:33 a.m. that Saturday morning?
“It’s two a.m., Nicholas,” she said quietly, her teeth chattering slightly.
“Let’s get inside.” I took off my jacket and made to put it around her shoulders. Instead, she just stood and stepped away quickly. The pale moonlight etched her scowl into her normally beautiful face.
“Where have you been all night?” she said, eyes narrowed. “Where have you been this entire week ?”
Great. Here it was. I decided to dodge the question and ignore her exaggeration.
“Where? I’ve been so busy with my project and missing you, Els.”
She looked at me as if I’d just told her I’d been golfing with Santa Claus.
“I’m serious, Nicholas. It was bad enough that you didn’t get home until midnight, last Monday. But now? Every night this entire week? Something’s up. I know it.”
Then she surprised me. “What’s her name?” Cold. Matter-of-fact tone. There was no way this conversation would end well.
“‘Her ’ who?” I said, sounding as confused as possible.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Nicky. You’ve been hanging with some little floozy , pretending that you’re doing research. She’s probably some hot little secretary from the college who took a chance on a mini-skirt because she knew you wouldn’t be able to resist.”
Okay, now that was completely unfair, not to mention entirely untrue. I was so stunned that she’d accuse me of anything of the sort that I couldn’t do anything but stand there, staring.
“I knew it. I just knew it,” she half-squealed and her eyes began to mist. “We’re not even married and I’m already being replaced! Oh, Nicky, say it’s not true!”
Where had this come from?
“Els? Have you been getting enough sleep, lately? You’re not sounding like yourself tonight.”
“Oh, so suddenly it’s my problem? What happened to you, Nick?”
No. I was going to end this one right now. “Ella? Look at me.”
She did.
“Hey, I’m not sure where you got the idea that I was cheating on you, but I’m looking you straight in the eyes and telling you that it’s not true. If you don’t know by now just how serious my commitment to you is, then I honestly don’t know how to prove it to you.
“Ever since we started dating, I’ve kept my heart focused on you , despite the fact that there are ten thousand other girls on this campus that aren’t altogether hideous.”
“You’ve been counting them? What, do you have some kind of catalogue?”
I sighed. The comment didn’t deserve a direct response. “Look, Ella, I’ve conducted the kind of experiments on girls that many men couldn’t handle without making some kind of moral mistake and I’ve managed to do it with so much professionalism that I’ve had girls refer their friends to me, because they trusted me that much.
“When I put that ring on your finger that was my way of saying I was bound to you. To you Ella. Not to some other girl.”
Her face closed and she looked at the ground.
I sighed. “When I get done with the lab, where do I go first?”
“My place,” she murmured, still not meeting my gaze.
“That’s right. Even though my apartment is in the opposite direction. Even though I’m dog tired and would love to collapse into bed, I come here to be with you , who I have been away from all day. All that work I do? Who do you think I’m doing it for? Don’t you think I’d rather be spending time with the woman I love than making notes and reading lame romance novels for the sixteenth time? Don’t you think I’d rather be gnoshing on homemade enchiladas fresh from your kitchen, than dropping quarters in a vending machine or going on nothing at all?
“I go to work at six in the morning, love. And yet, I still come here
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