Love's Tangled Web (Alex and Ellie)

Ellie quickly logged off and shut down her laptop. To save some cash, she chose the cheapest repair shop she could find.

It seems that some expenses just can't be avoided. Fortunately, there wasn't anything embarrassing on her laptop; otherwise, it would've been a huge loss

The next afternoon, on her way to the cafeteria with some colleagues for lunch, Ellie was chatting about how her computer had been remotely controlled the night before. As they entered the cafeteria, enthusiastic screams from some female coworkers filled the air. Ellie turned around just in time to see Alex standing right in front of her. Before she could react, he had her swept up in a single-arm hug and snatched her phone from her hand.

The sudden physical contact, mixed with his familiar scent of sandalwood and a hint of tobacco, made Ellie's mind go blank for a moment!

Once Alex let go, Ellie hurriedly reached for her phone. "Give it back" she whispered, glancing nervously at the giggling coworkers around her.

"You're getting bold, huh? Changed your password again?" Alex teased, turning to grab Ellie's wrist in an attempt to unlock her phone. She quickly pulled away and dodged him

Ellie wanted to snatch her phone back but was scared he would unlock it before she could get it. With her coworkers cheering them on, she decided to sprint towards the entrance

Everyone around thought Alex was her boyfriend since he kept coming by for Haley's sake. To make things worse, after that kiss in the hallway, no one believed her francic explanations. The more she tried to explain, the more outrageous Alex became. "Do you dare to run away!!" Alex called after her.

At the window of the hospital cafeteria, Ellie found herself pinned against the glass by Alex. He held her hands above her head with one arm, trapping her with his body. The awkward position made her ears burn with embarrassment. "Everyone's watching! Let me go!" "Not a chance!" Alex grinned.

He awkwardly maintained that position while forcefully unlocking Ellie's phone with her fingerprint, completely unfazed by how inappropriate this was.

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With her pinned in front of him, he glanced over her phone while playfully interrogating her, "So, who's the guy you were with last night, huh?" Ellie could clearly hear her coworkers laughing nearby, wishing she could just sink into the ground! "No one! was Aaron!" Ellie blurted, desperate to escape the situation.

Hearing this, Alex's expression softened a bit. He leaned closer, locking eyes with her flushed face. "What's the password to your album!" Ellie's heart raced, and she started squirming. The only locked album on her phone was filled with her private photos of Alext "Give it back!" she cried, her frustration bubbling over.

She was trying to forget her secret feelings for Alex, and she definitely didn't want anyone, especially him, to know about them!

"Can you please respect my privacy!" she shouted, her voice rising in anger.

Seeing Ellie getting emotional, Alex finally released her but didn't return her phone. "What kind of privacy can you have, kid? Let me see your

Ellie stared at his hand gripping her phone and, without thinking, lunged at him, biting his wrist Alex yelped in pain and let go, allowing Ellie to snatch back her phone and dash away!

"Ellic, and

are you a dog or something?" Alex shouted, shaking his arm as he chased after her.

To avoid Alex, Ellie didn't dare go back to the cafeteria for lunch. Instead, she suck into the restroom and completely wiped everything related to him off her phone!

The sudden flutter in her heart, which had hit her unexpectedly, had left her feeling like it was too late to turn back.

Every bit of love she felt for Alex was hidden in the fleeting glances they shared, in the words left unspoken during their arguments, and in the countless moments when the had secretly watched him walk away,

She had been trying to act like it didn't matter, but over time, she found herself genuinely indifferent.

She counted down the minutes until quitting time, then hurried out. After leaving the hospital, Ellie walked to the bus stop and unexpectedly bumped into Haley,

They had been friends for so many years, and Ellie wanted to greet her, but after trying for what felt like ages, she realized she couldn't do it

Haley could date whoever she wanted-whether it was Aaron or Alex. But what Ellie couldn't accept was how effortlessly Haley had moved on after hanging between two guys for so long, only to make the breakup sound so fresh and casual. Even after all these years of friendship, it hurt her to see how deeply Aaron had been affected.

Looking down, Ellie passed by Haley, but Haley reached out to stop her. On the sidewalk beside the road, two once-close friends found their eyes. glistening with unshed tears.

Ellie believed their friendship was real and also believed that Haley once genuinely liked Aaron. But now, she simply couldn't go back to how things

used to be.

"I know you and Aaron have broken up," Ellie said, avoiding cyc contact and keeping her tone as calm as possible.

Haley took a few deep breaths before saying "Ellie, after all these years of friendship, are you really going to cut ties with me just because of him?"

Ellie forced a smile, knowing that cutting ties didn't fully describe what was happening.

Though she didn't want to bring up Aaron, she couldn't help herself. "You know we've been friends for years. Since we're good friends, how could you hurt Aaron like this?

"You used to push to be with him, and now that you're breaking up, you have nothing but excuses, Haley, what exactly did Aaron do wrong?"

Haley warned her gaze toward the road, eyes teary "Matters of the heart are unpredictable. Aaron didn't do anything wrong, but I had to face the truth. I realized what I really wanted, and is it so wrong to cut my loves!"

Disappointment filled Ellie's heart as she looked at Haley, unsure of what to say next.

Haley had gone around holding hands with Alex, enjoying wild nights on boats, accepting gifts from him, and bringing him to dinner parties...... Breaking up could happen in many ways.

Yet, Haley chose the most hurtful one! She had used this method to wound Aaron and then casually let him gol And now, she dared to claim she was just stopping herself from getting hurt?

"Haley, I think it's best if we don't stay friends. I can't forgive you for hurting Aaron and acting like it's all justified!" Ellie said, turning to leave. Ellie, Aaron is Aaron, and you are you. We've been friends for years. Why do you have to mix my relationship with Aaron into our friendship?" Haley askednoveldrama

With tears in her eyes, Haley stepped in front of Ellie. "I really don't want to lose your friendship!"

Ellie pushed Haley away and took a step back. "In our Friendship, you say Aaron is Aaron, and you are you. So why is it when it comes to your relationship with him, it can't be you are you, and your family is your family!"

Haley was left speechless by Ellie's words, struggling to find a response. "Ellie, can't you be less aggressive? I just broke up with Aaron! Why are you treating me like thi