Love's Tangled Web (Alex and Ellie)

Ellie finally gave in and agreed to go out with Alex. She didn't want to escalate the situation, nor did she want him to freak out and drag into it. Most of all, she didn't want to worry Aaron Looking at Alex's sleek silver sports car. Ellie hesitated before saying, "Just give me the address. I'll take a ride over to meet

you."

his parents

Alex stared at Ellie, his eyes narrowing slowly. "I'm just asking you to step out for a bit, not demanding your life. Why does it feel like you're treating me like an enemy? What's up with that?" Ellie looked down. "I just don't want to be left behind halfway"noveldrama

Her quiet voice wasn't loud, but it made Alex knit his brows tightly. He continued to gaze at her, and after a long pause, he finally spoke up, "It's not that big of a deal for you to hold a grudge against me over this. Just get in the car" the entire

Before she could protest, Alex forcibly pulled Ellic into the passenger seat. He drove while sneaking glances at her, but Ellie sat in silence ti way, which was rare for Alex.

The car made a series of turns before stopping outside a tattoo parlor. Ellie followed Alex inside, where they were greeted by the lively atmosphere of the shop. "Wow, you brought this girl along! Layton exclaimed warmly when he saw Ellie, walking over to

ver to say h

1. hi. Ellie politely smiled in return.

As she watched Alex socialize with everyone, she realized that the shop owner and the staff were all friends of his

Hearing several guys jokingly call her "Mrs. Warren, Ellie felt her face heat up, quickly waving her hands in embarrassment and retreating to the door.

Alex turned to look at her, and seeing her flustered enough to want to disappear, he couldn't help but smirk. "Look at you, acting like a total rookie!" He shot a glare at a group of men, then corrected them, "If you don't know how to properly greet people, then just keep quiet. The guys hastily stopped their teasing

Pulling Ellie to sit down, Ales laid a design in front of her that a man had given him. "Help me figure out where's a good spot for this Ellie's gaze immediately fell on the design and she recognized the name written on it -Haley.

So that's why he insisted on dragging her here. He needed her input on where to tattoo Haley's name on his body

It was surprising since he used to late getting random things inked on himself. But here he was, willing to get a tattoo for Haley,

Her heart twisted painfully, a new wave of emotion sweeping over her Ellie felt a heavy weight in her chest, her ears ringing, and it seemed like everything around her faded away except for Alex's question. "Should it go on the chest or the ring finger!" he asked. When Ellie didn't respond, he kept asking. "If it were you, where would you want your boyfriend to tattoo y

your Noticing Ellie's discomfort, Layton nudged Alex lightly. "Alright, can't you see she doesn't want to talk?"

But Alex dismissed him with a wave. "No way. I want her to answer

Feeling tears well up, Ellie struggled to speak, her lips trembling, "Ring linger."

name?"

The ring finger has a vein that connects to the heart, which is why couples wear rings on that finger. It symbolizes placing love closest to the heart "Ring finger it is Alex said, satisfied as he handed the design to the tattoo artist Ten going to the bathroom," Ellie said, nearly fleeing the roon.

In the bathroom, Ellie fought to stabilize her trembling body. It felt like someone had pierced her heart! She thought she could handle it calmly. but facing reality was much tougher than expected

As tears spilled over uncontrollably. Elichid in the restroom until she felt composed enough to step out,

"Are you okay?" Layton asked as she emerged.

ed in relief and

Shaking her head, Ellie hurriedly lowered her gaze to avoid Layton's sharp eyes. When Layton didn't press her for more, she sighed followed him back to the tattoo room with Alex.

"My dad wants me to head home. 111 call you later," Layton announced, saying goodbye to everyone before leaving.

Alex pulled Ellie to sit beside him. "What

do you think? How does it look!"

1:20 PM c d

Elbe numbly focused on his ring Enger. Even though the tattoo artist had only traced an outline, it still felt too glaring to her.

Suppressing her emotions, Ellie managed to say. It looks good."

Ellie watched in disbelief as Alex had Haley's name tattooed on his ring fin

linger

The three-hour session felt like it lasted a century for Ellic.

Around 2:00 PM, she finally stepped out of the tattoo shop, trailing behind Alex. She stood on the sidewalk, feeling like the whole world had faded away, leaving just her in a heavy silence. Alex turned back to glance at Ellie. Noticing her head downcast and her mood low, he playfully showcased his new tattoo. "What do you think! Does it look good!"

Ellie turned her head away, mumbling that it looked great.

Alex smirked with satisfaction. "You must be hungry Let's grab a bite. My treat

Ellie tried to refuse, but he dragged her into a nearby bistro.

Corner.

As soon as Ellie entered the restaurant she spotted Aaron and Haley sitting by the window in the cort

From a distance, it was clear that their table was nearly untouched, the cutlery neatly arranged. Even from afar, she felt the awkward tension

between them.

Behind her, Alex let out a mocking scoll, and Ellie knew he noticed it 100.

talking? Just because

When Alex started striding toward Aaron and Haley, she instinctively grabbed his arm. "Can you at least wait until they finish talk you're determined doesn't mean you should interrupt"

Alex paused, locking eyes with her for a moment. Then he pulled her to a secluded booth, gently pushing her into a seat.

Their table was shielded by a decorative screen, but it wasn't far from where Aaron and Haley were sitting. Ellie could easily catch glimpses of their conversation.

After days of hesitation, Haley finally mustered up the courage to share what had been weighing on her heart. "Aaron. I admit my feelings for you aren't as strong as they used to be. Ellie questioned me, how can I be so close to Alex when I'm still with your "I thought about it for a long time, and I've realized some things. In the beginning, my feelings for you were pure and simple, with no strings attached. But now, we're facing the reality of marriage, and it involves a lot of balancing between two families "Ill be honest. I've compared you to Alex. He makes everything about me, while you don't. He pushes boundaries for me, while you hold back. He gives me material things and emotional support, while you.. well, you can't offer that the way he does" Haley propped her elbows on the table, covering her head with her hands, looking pained as she continued. "Alex easily wins over my parents; be fulfills my need for attention wherever we are. When I'm with him, I'm in the spotlight. "He gifted me a hairpin worth tens of thousands, which is my favorite style. But the silver earrings you gave me, no matter how much thought you put into them, I just can't wear them. They don't fit my image, and I'd get Laughed at it I did.

"Aaron, just think of it as me bring young and rive when I started dating you. Let's break up amicably, okay? Please don't hold a grudge. I just really don't want to lose Ellie as a friend because of this: Halley's voice cracked as she spoke, rears streaming down her face,