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My relationship with Reid is unspecified and tenuous

I’ve known, and even last night I knew, that it won’t last

Basking in him, I closed my eyes to the inevitable conclusion and hoil affect s for Reid to what I felt for Colin, and I realize I’ for hier, the end wil devastate me in a way that would make Colin’s desertion seem trivial

"I’m sorry" I start to sob, my face in my hands Their chairs scrape like Mom’s did the last ti out They’re putting their aroing to cal Reid and thank hi he’s done, because he’s been better to oing to tel hioodbye

Half an hour later, alone in my room, that’s exactly what I do He doesn’t speak for a fulso I stay on the line and let hi Esther and pray I can take whatever he says, because he’s bound to be angry, and he has every right to be

"I understand," he says, control ed and quiet "Goodbye, Dori"

The line goes dead and I cry until I fal asleep, curled into a tight bal in theto any comfort I can find

Chapter 46

REID

"I haven’t seen your friend’s car out back in a while" Moes of that novel with the hot-but-sul en fictional boy who reminds me of my Wil Darcy role froes of a dystopian novel (What the hel is it about brooding guys that’s attractive to woo, and it’s net I shouldn’t be surprised--being a dick never hurt my appeal before)

"That’s because she hasn’t been here" I would wonder that Mo, even when she see but her own feet, shuffling through the house Her eyes see at u over, after we broke up

I shrug "There was no fight at al , actual y Her parents didn’t want her seeing ave up" I don’t know if this is true, but it feels true I should have known she’d submit to their wishes eventual y Did they ht withtime with me at al ? Did they threaten to kick her out? I’ve never understood the ulti parent

Part of me rises to that--I could have rented her a place if they’d fol owed through Or hel , I could have gotten u s a place

Wow, shit Gotten us a place? I airl who convincedto her: I’ you’ve done for me--you probably savedon right now, and I don’t knoe’re doing anyway, you and I

It’s just… et back to o back to yours I’m sorry

She’d choked back a sob then as I lay infor her to say so up, I threw h force to leave a dent in the sheetrock and crack the screen irreparably And then I found her note next to the bed The one with "Don’t worry" preceding her scripted D An hour later, after I cal the crumpled note out of the trash, sh fifty ti to make sense of the combination of her spoken and written words-- absolute antitheses of each other

"Hles one eyebrow, but doesn’t lift her eyes froht If only it was that simple

She checks her watch, slides off the bed, and walks over

--steadily--to ruffle et to We can talk later, if you want?" Newly ers under my chin, she tiltsto stop drinking again I don’t want to ask Don’t want to jinx it

I stomp down the burst of hope in my chest, nod into her hand "Sure, Mo else, Mr Alexander?" The rep delivering my new Ferrari FF is smokin’ hot and practical y purrs this question She’s taken every opportunity to brush against ht down her silky top, the top three pearled buttons unfastened

We’ve gone over every spec and cole surface scratch ray leather interior No further reason to keep her here unless I want to do her on the hood (total y possible--this girl is not in the running for a subtlety award)