&&&&&

I walked into Austin and I's house, and threw my bag on the table. Austin was nowhere in sight. This was unusual for him, as he was always home.

"Zelina, there you are. I was wondering when you would be home," he said from the top of the stairs.

"Well wonder no more, I'm home now," I said as I walked up the stairs to meet him.

He smiled and then gave me a kiss. On one hand, I was feeling bad about cheating on Austin, but then on the other hand, I was so happy with Andrade, and I liked our current situation.

"So, I've been wanting to talk to you about this, but it never seems like the right time with you."

I snapped my head towards my fiance and was confused. If he wanted to have kids, I wasn't against that, but right now, I really didn't want children.

"Uh, what is it?"

"Well, I wanted to know when you wanted to get married? I was thinking sooner rather than later, I mean, we've been engaged long enough, don't you think?" Austin asked as he looked me in the eyes.

"Oh, see I like our long engagement, it reminds me of everything that we have overcome," I started. "Also, with the moving schedule, I'm not going to have a lot of time-"

"So we'll hire a wedding planner," he cut me off.

"No, I want to plan our wedding together, not have someone do it for us!" I said as I stomped down the hall.

I didn't mean to blow up at Austin like that, but he was making me angry. When we first got engaged, I straight up told him that I preferred a long engagement, and now that I was hooking up with Andrade, I wanted this engagement to last a little longer.

"Zelina," I heard a soft whisper from outside the door.

I didn't want to talk to him or look at him right now. I texted Peyton before he came in, and told her that I needed to talk to as soon as possible. She responded to me right away and said to meet up at the coffee shop.

"Austin, I don't want to talk to you," I hollered from inside of the bedroom.

I sighed and then walked to the door. When I opened it, I saw Austin leaning against the wall. He looked at me as I started to leave down the hallway. "Zelina, I really am sorry."

"I'm going to talk to Peyton, don't wait up for me."

He sighed and then walked into the bedroom. I went down the flight of stairs and then out the door. I really just needed to talk to someone about all of this, that person not being Andrade.

When I arrived at the coffee shop, Peyton was sitting at the back table towards the pastry section. She had a latte in her right hand and her phone in her left. I ordered my usual, an iced white chocolate caramel latte.

"Peyton, thank you so much for meeting me here, I really need to talk to you," I said as I sat down.

She put down her phone and then looked up at me. "When you texted me, I thought you were going to ask me to cover for you again."

"Yeah, I also forgot to thank you for that, I promise I'm going to keep hooking up with him at a minimum. I really don't want Austin finding out."

She sipped her latte and then stared at her phone, as it dinged. She responded to the text and then turned her attention back to me.

"Who was that?" I asked, my tone curious.

"Drew, he just said that he was going to be home late."

I nodded my head and then remembered why I needed to meet her. I had to tell her what Austin wanted and when he wanted it.

"I asked you to meet me because I need to talk to you about Austin."

"Are you two okay?"

I nodded and then looked at her to continue. "Yes, but today when I walked home, he just blurted out that he wanted to get married."

"Why is that a bad thing?"

I sighed and slumped down in my chair. "It's not, but the fact that I said I wanted a long engagement, and now that Andrade and I are seeing each other, I want to be engaged longer."

"Girl, this sounds like something you'd see on reality TV. Just tell Austin that you enjoy the place that you two are in right now."

"I tried, I even told him that I liked our long engagement, and that I had a busy schedule, but he didn't seem to get it," I started. "Then, he has the nerve to say that he doesn't even want to plan the wedding, he wants someone else to do it."

Peyton put her latte down and then sat back in her seat. She furrowed her brows and crossed her arms. "What an ass, doesn't he know that that is one of the most important things to a bride-to-be?"

I shook my head as a no, and then the door opened. Peyton and I both stared at the door to see who had come in. Just my luck, it was Andrade and Meghan.

"Who is that girl?" Peyton whispered from across the table.

"Meghan, his girlfriend."

She rolled her eyes and then went back to looking at her phone. I, however, couldn't take my eyes off of Andrade and the way he was touching Meghan. He would graze her lower back and then stoke her shoulder.

I knew that it shouldn't irritate me, but it did. He touched me like that, and I wanted to be the only woman he touched that way.

Peyton must have caught on, because after she finished her latte, she drug me hand and led me out of the coffee shop. We stopped mid-street and I was still angry.

"Hey, you shouldn't be mad, they're dating. I know that you like him, but really, Zelina? You two are just business partners, and that should be the only thing you are! This is a reality check, you are engaged to Austin Aries and he is dating whatever girl that is, a hookup isn't a relationship, Zelina," Peyton made a huge speech after we had headed away from the door.

"I know."

She ran a hand through her hair, and then looked at me. "On a brighter note, Billie's baby shower is this weekend, and you should come."

I smiled and then walked off to my car.

********
hey guys! i hope you liked this update, it's a little bit longer! i thank you all for your continued support and love on this book❤️

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