Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
24
DARREN
Her building was in decent shape. You had to have a key or be buzzed in to enter. I would’ve been happier if there was a doorman. Honestly, I would have been happiest if she just stayed with us and forgot about this place.
I installed locks and alarms on the windows and door. The camera system I used linked up with an app on her phone so she could check it remotely and make sure the hall was clear when she arrived home after a shift before going in. When I finished with the second deadbolt, Julie interrupted.
“You’re doing too much!”
“Hell, if your landlord doesn’t like it, I’ll pay the damn fine. As long as it keeps you safe, it’s not too much,” I said.
“Thank you. You’re so sweet,” she replied.
“Huh. I don’t think I’ve ever been called sweet before,” I said with a half-smile.
“Well, you are. Any idiot who didn’t notice doesn’t deserve your time,” she said protectively.
“Don’t spread that kind of rumor around. I have a reputation to uphold,” I teased.
Julie laughed, and she had a great laugh, free and loud and happy. I had to be careful not to let my face do some kind of romantic crap.
“Seriously, I appreciate this, and I appreciate you. I’d offer to make you a sandwich or something but the only thing in that fridge that hadn’t expired was the baking soda.”
“We can go to the grocery store,” I offered.
“I can just get it delivered,” she said, but she was biting her lip like she was thinking it over.
“What if I want to take you?” I asked.
She brightened. “Okay, I’ll make a list,” and she grabbed a pad of paper out of a drawer and started writing.
In a few minutes, we were at the grocery place nearest her apartment. I pushed the cart while she kept up constant chatter about how they’d moved the cereal again and when she first moved here it took her a long time to get used to the way they had their produce section at the back and not right as you walked in like a normal grocery store.
“This is very educational,” I said wryly. “I didn’t know this was an abnormal store. Anything else I should know?”
“Yeah, never buy batteries or charger cords or anything at the grocery store because the upcharge is insane. I got band-aids here once and it’s a wonder I didn’t have to take out a loan,” she said.
“What else is on your list? I think you bought everything in the store,” I said looking at the cart I pushed that was piled high with boxes and bags.
“Yogurt. Skim milk. Maybe ice cream.”
“Definitely ice cream,” I said. “How is that a question?”
“You don’t have to watch your weight. You have like zero body fat. We’re not the same.”
“You’re perfect the way you are,” I said, my voice low and insistent. She flushed at the compliment and gave me a shy smile. “Eat all the damn ice cream you want.”
We made our way through the aisles, and I was surprised how much I liked food shopping with Julie. I watched in amazement as she examined tiny tubs of yogurt like they weren’t all the same and chose an ice cream like the world depended on her making the right selection. When she’d spent four or five minutes debating the relative merits of cookie dough ice cream versus fudge chunk, I just grabbed them both and tossed them in the cart. She laughed.
“Running out of patience?”
“No. I just don’t think you have to choose. You can like more than one flavor,” I said archly.
“You know I do,” she responded with heat in her eyes. I liked flirting with her and having double meanings that only we understood. I pulled her to me and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. It was a mistake since it just made me want more. I had to suppress a growl of frustration and she giggled at my response.
I was in big trouble, if I could enjoy grocery shopping with Julie, if even looking at ice cream flavors was a turn on. Things were way more serious than I thought it would be at the start.
25
JEREMY
Julie was just over at the brownstone last night for Mexican food and to watch a boxing match. Fact was, she and Kendall took our money. We should’ve known better than to bet on the match with a couple of girls like them, competitive, stubborn and bound to know everything about both fighters. Then Kendall went to work, and Julie went back home. As soon as she left, Rory, Darren, and I looked around kind of helplessly.
“Is it stupid that the place feels empty since she moved out?” I asked.
“No,” Darren answered gruffy.
“It’s the truth,” Rory agreed with me.
Two weeks since she moved out, and I wasn’t any closer to being used to her absence. Even though she dropped by a few times a week, it wasn’t the same. She didn’t sleep over, didn’t wake up in my arms when the sun streamed in the windows. We texted all the time and talked, and we saw each other. But it was at a distance.