Submitting to my Ex Uncle-Chapter 173

Two hours later, Celeste’s phone chimed.

The sound pulled her from the quiet hum of the house, and from the way her fingers had been idly grazing the diamond on her finger.

She turned the phone over, half-expecting it to be Dominic, but it wasn’t. By the way, she shouldn’t be expecting his text until nine hours later.

It was Amara.

"C, drinks at a bar tonight? I already reserved a table."

Celeste’s lips curved into a smile, soft and private. She rolled her thumb over the cool metal of her ring again, twisting it a little, like she couldn’t stop reminding herself it was there, and that it was real.

She sighed, and the smile bloomed again, fresh as the first time she’d seen it on her hand.

Her fingers moved across the screen quickly.

"Can we do this at my place, please?"

Almost immediately, Amara’s reply came, sharp as always.

"Nope, it would be boring. I’ll share the bar address."

Celeste shook her head, laughing faintly. Typical Amara. Always dragging her out of comfort and into noise. Always insisting she couldn’t just stay wrapped up in her little bubble of safety.

"Okay, just one drink?" Celeste texted back.

"Just one."

Celeste reacted to the message with a soft tap of her finger, then set the phone down beside her. She stood slowly, brushing her hand across her dress, but her gaze inevitably fell back to the ring. It caught the light from the window, stealing her breath all over again. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

........

Rodger waited by the car when she finally stepped out. His posture was stiff, and exact, as though the night air itself was another mission to carry on his shoulders.

He said nothing as he opened the door for her, but Celeste could feel his eyes on her every move, like always.

She slid into the seat, smoothing her skirt, but her mind flickering back to her phone. She’d texted Dominic an hour ago, a simple message telling him she was going out with Amara. She’d asked if he’d landed yet.

There was no reply.

Her chest fluttered with something she didn’t want to name. Of course he hadn’t replied. He was still in the air, and still away from her. The thought of him somewhere above clouds, unreachable, made her hand curl into her lap.

Her eyes slid sideways, catching Rodger’s reflection in the glass as the city rolled past them. She wondered, not for the first time, if he’d text Dominic without her permission.

If every time she blinked, and every time she took a sip of water or let her guard down, Dominic somehow already knew.

Maybe.

She leaned her temple against the cool glass, tracing circles over the diamond with her thumb until the lights of the bar district grew brighter, and louder.

.....

Amara was already waiting when Celeste stepped inside.

The music wasn’t deafening yet, the bar was still alive but not crowded. The night was still young enough to feel untouched. Amara spotted her almost instantly. She stood from the table, her wine glass in hand, with her grin wide and unrestrained.

"There’s my girl!" she said, loud enough for heads to turn. Her eyes softened in the next breath, shimmering with something deeper. "God, I missed your face."

Celeste laughed as she slid into the booth, tugging Amara into a hug before sitting down properly. "It’s only been two weeks."

"Two weeks too long," Amara countered, sinking back into her seat. "You have no idea how boring my life is without you."

Celeste smiled. The warmth spread easily between them, like it always did. She reached for the drink waiting in front of her, lifting the glass. Amara froze immediately.

Her eyes widened, sharp as lightning, and she nearly dropped her own glass.

"Wait. Wait—" Amara’s voice rose, climbing with disbelief. She set her wine down with a thud that made the table rattle. Her hand flew out, catching Celeste’s wrist. "What the hell is this?"

Celeste blinked, caught between laughter and panic. "Amara...." She trailed off when she realised Amara was just reacting towards the ring.

"You finally said yes?" Amara screamed, her voice pitching high enough to draw stares from two tables over.

Celeste’s cheeks warmed, her lips trembling into a smile she couldn’t contain. She nodded. Speechless, but she nodded.

Amara’s eyes glassed instantly. A sob-laugh burst out of her at once, half hysterical, and half joyful. She gripped Celeste’s hand so tight it almost hurt, then hauled her across the booth into her arms.

"I let you out of my sight for one night," Amara gasped, laughing through tears, "and you’re about to get married?"

Celeste’s eyes stung, but she only smiled, pressing her thumb softly under Amara’s lashes, wiping the tears before they could fall.

"Look at you," Amara whispered, rocking her side to side like they were still teenagers. "You’re so engaged."

Celeste laughed through her blush, letting herself be spun clumsily around until her hair fell into her eyes.

"Honestly," she admitted when Amara let her go, breathless and bright, "it’s happening so fast. It makes my head spin."

Amara studied her, her tears giving way to a grin so wide it looked like it hurt. She shook her head, raising her glass again. "It suits you."

Celeste settled back into her seat, her cheeks warm. She touched the ring again, her eyes lowering. "Yes, it does," she said softly. And then, after a beat, with her voice steadier than she expected, she added. "I’m happy."

Amara beamed at her.

They sat down, and sipped their wines. They said nothing for a moment. Amara just kept on smiling, her eyes filled with pride.

It was Celeste who finally broke the spell. She set her glass down carefully, her fingers tracing the condensation. "So... Elias?"

The question was light, but it slipped out with a weight she couldn’t quite bury.

Amara’s smile didn’t falter. If anything, it grew. She leaned closer, her eyes glittering. "He said he loves me."

Celeste’s chest tightened. She swallowed down the sting of suspicion that tried to claw up her throat.

She swallowed up the part of her that remembered little things she’d seen, the things she couldn’t quite prove, and the shadow of doubt she couldn’t voice without ruining this moment.

So she swallowed it. Pushed it down, and smiled.

"Amara, that’s... that’s amazing."

Amara’s eyes glowed, her hands gesturing wildly as she spoke about him, about the way he’d looked at her, and about the words he’d finally given her.

"I gave him my first night."