Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Needing to leave before my reflection sees me fisting up to fight for the second time tonight, I race into the stall, swivel toilet paper around my hand until the roll hangs empty, then dart back into the corridor.
I take in a couple of big breaths to clear the panic from my face before shifting on my feet to face Jess. When I notice the corridor is empty, I crank my neck in the direction of the kitchen.
Faint noises are still coming and going but none that I recognize.
“Hey,” I greet to a man who’s been working along with Octavia and me all night. “You haven’t seen anyone from the bridal party, have you?”
Marc finishes stacking a tray of dirty glasses into an industrial dishwasher before shaking his headed. “Bridal party left around an hour ago.”
“An hour ago?” Talking through a swollen chest, proud our romp lasted longer than believed, I add, “Not the bride and groom. One of the bridesmaids.”
Marc’s lips curve to the left. “I can’t say I blame you, but you’d have more luck trolling the Windermere Estate than attempting to take home a Kappa Gamma girl for the night. They have standards.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Very fucking high standards.” He runs his index finger under his nose to double his assurance before saying, “And you’re shit out of luck. The bridesmaids are being bundled into a car out front as we speak.”
“Including the maid of honor?” Desperate. I sound fucking desperate.
When Marc notches up his chin, I hightail it outside so fast I almost knock over Octavia making her way inside. “Caleb—”
“Be back in ten.”
“That’s what you said an hour ago,” Susan shouts, her words brimming with anger.
My breathing is more exerted from my mad dash than her compliment, but despite the screams of my lungs, I make it outside in the nick of time. Jess is only just climbing into the back of a stretched limousine.
I demand my mouth to shout her name and beg my legs to continue their race, but no matter how determined their pleas are, I remain standing on the cracked footpath at the side of SoDo Park, unmoving and unspeaking.
Our time together was out-of-this-world unreal, but it doesn’t change anything.
I’m still fucked in the head, and Octavia is still miserable.
My happiness can’t come before hers no matter how much I wish things were different.
So, with that in mind, I sink in the shadows a mere second before Jess slings her head back toward the teal building.
Disappointment crosses her face when her eyes drag across the almost empty reception area. Then with a defeated sigh, she slips into the back seat and exits my life as quickly as she entered it.
CHAPTER 10
CALEB
ONE MONTH LATER…
Whack. Catch. Whack. Catch. Whack. Catch.
I stop tossing a tennis ball against the wall of my room when Octavia props her shoulder against the doorjamb. She’s decked out in professional attire that consists of a tight skirt, shimmery blouse, and stockings I’m certain our grandmother wore at least once in her life.
Although her new role at Seattle Socialites gives her a reason to get up every morning, it hasn’t given her a reason to smile.
She is still miserable. As am I.
I could say I’m homesick, but that would be a piss-poor excuse for my attitude of late. I’m frustrated, annoyed, and constantly wondering if I fucked up more than my promise to Octavia last month.
Did I force another child into my miserable existence?
When I catch sight of an unfamiliar curve on the edge of Octavia’s mouth, I flop my legs over the bed, angle my head, then arch a brow. “Is that a smile on your lips?”
Her grin enlarges.
What the hell?
“Don’t tell me you’ve found a man capable of surviving your hurricane snores at Snooze Palooza? The men there are creeps, the women are wallflowers, and if I have to read one more article on how to cut the crust off a cucumber sandwich gracefully, I’m going to put a bullet in my head.”
Octavia scoffs when I toss one of the magazines from her new employer at her feet, but her smile remains steady. “You’re right about the creeps, and some of the women are a little… standoffish, but there are always a handful of good apples amongst the rotten ones.”
I roll my eyes like I don’t believe a word she’s saying before meeting her in the hallway. My sluggish pace doubles when the smell of greasy meat and scrumptious cheese streams into my nose. Octavia isn’t crazy about diet fads, but when your slack-ass cousin hasn’t secured a job in over a month, and your rent is almost the equivalent of your monthly pay, you become a fan of eating in every night.
“Why the fuck do you have two dozen cheeseburgers? Did Burger King have a penny sale again?”