Series: Like Us Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 241
Estimated words: 236417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1182(@200wpm)___ 946(@250wpm)___ 788(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1182(@200wpm)___ 946(@250wpm)___ 788(@300wpm)
Apparently, I’m the one who showed him the watch in the first place. Do not remember that.
It’s ironic now, considering I’m the one who’s lost time.
I show him the high-tech cameras on my phone. “Yeah, but Donnelly said the phone isn’t my real present.” I lower my voice to tell him, “He’s going to tattoo me for free. Well, he said they’re all free since I’m his girlfriend, but he plans to tattoo the same design on himself.”
Xander splats the cinna-cake slice on a paper plate. “So a matching tattoo?”
“Uh-huh.” I smile more. “He already has the design. I kinda hope it’s something galactic. An otherworldly link from him to me.”
“You pretty much already have that without the tattoo, you know?” Leaning against the counter, Xander picks up the cake like a cinnamon roll. Pinched between two fingers. “You fell for him twice after you couldn’t remember him. Like, that’s fucking insane and on par with the sci-fi greats.”
“It’s not as good as Dune. Or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”
“That book about androids?” He’s referring to Electric Sheep. “It’s overrated.”
“It’s a sci-fi classic.”
Xander makes a face. “Prometheus, Ex Machina, fucking iRobot—all better android movies than Blade Runner.” He knows Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick is the basis of the film Blade Runner.
I shrug. “I like the book better than the movie.”
“Your story with Donnelly is way better, sis.” He groans as the cake crumbles in his hand, dirtying the floor. “Fuuuck.” He stares at it for a long time.
“I can clean—”
“I got it.” He shoves the rest of the cake in his mouth, then throws a towel on the ground. Using his foot, he tries to collect the cake crumbs.
I snap a photo of Xander mid-chewing.
He almost smiles. “If it’s not gross, delete it,” he says with a mouthful.
“It’s so gross. You look super ugly.”
“Yayyy.” His dry tone doesn’t match the smile still cresting his face, but it fizzles out while he swigs a glass of OJ. “If it’s not a Christmas present, why’d he get you a new phone?”
It’s complicated.
At first, I wonder if I should lie or hop-skip over the full truth. It’d be easy to barricade Xander from this part of my life, but I’m a new Luna. The Luna who’s tearing down walls and letting others see more of me.
“He just bought it for me,” I explain. “Yesterday. It’s why he was gone half the day.”
“He didn’t just go get coffee?”
“He said he went to the biggest nearby town to buy the phone.”
Xander’s brows pull together in more confusion. “Did yours break or something?”
“No,” I say under my breath, careful that no one overhears. Footsteps pad along the floorboards, but no one enters the kitchen. “I’ve been getting a lot of messages from unknown numbers. Some calls too.” I explain how they’re mostly guys I can’t remember from the past three years. “Anyway, Donnelly didn’t want them to harass me anymore. I think he hated the idea of me panicking at every new text.” My lips rise and my heart swells. “It was really kind of him, to even consider how I’d feel.”
Xander nods a few times, just listening.
“He’s planning to help me get a new number too, but he needed me there. We’re stopping at the Verizon store on the way home.”
“What about the unknowns?” Xander asks. “Have you figured out who they are?”
I shake my head. “Donnelly sent all the numbers to the tech team. I doubt I’ll hear back this week.” It’s the holidays after all.
Xander scoops up the towel full of cake crumbs. “He’s a world-class bodyguard.”
“Yeah, he is,” I nod resolutely, but strangely, I’ve been classifying this act as a protective boyfriend. Not so much a bodyguard.
A stampede on the deck causes us to look out the kitchen window. Several people head down the hill to throw around a football. Sulli, Banks, and Akara among them, as well as Thatcher. I spot Jane with Baby Maeve swaddled against her chest. I have a feeling she’ll be more of a spectator.
I heard those five are leaving mid-week to spend some of the holidays with the Morettis in South Philly. Beckett is also cutting the trip short, but only to return to the ballet. He took time off for bereavement, but the Nutcracker is still in full swing.
Moffy soon joins with Farrow, shoving each other lightly down the sloped hill. I bet my mom fought for grammie cuddles and time with Cassidy and Ripley.
Sulli throws the ball to my brother, then Moffy tosses the ball in a perfect arch. It lands right into Ben’s hands.
“I never thought I could be like Moffy,” Xander suddenly says, and we watch our older brother laugh and wrestle against his husband before he slips past him and easily catches the whizzing football like he was once a collegiate star.