Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Or, you know, maybe he shouldn’t have been seeking out an innocent woman and beating her senseless in an alley,” she corrected.
“Well, that too,” I agreed.
“Anyway, Luna says that A reads romance novels,” she said, making my head whip over. “She totally had hearts in her eyes when she said that, by the way. You might have some competition in her.”
“There is no competition. A and I aren’t involved.”
“Right. So, just your nether-regions are acquainted then? Your brains had no part in it? You know, scratch that,” she decided, kicking back with another of my sausage links. “I’ve totally had brainless sex. So it can be done. But even my brain agrees that fucking Andres Alcazar is a great idea.”
“Then by all means…” I said, waving out toward the door that he’d walked out of.
“For you, idiot,” she clarified.
“I’ve already been there,” I said, trying to shrug it off.
“Was he not good? No, that can’t be.”
“Why not?”
“Because that man is sex on a stick. No way is he a two-pump-chump. Or a boring jackhammer fucker.”
“He was good,” I admitted. I might have conflicted feelings about him, but I wasn’t going to be bitter and drag his sex game through the mud.
“I knew it. No one who walks like that and somehow makes the word ‘mama’ sexy is bad in bed. So, why don’t you want to keep fucking him?”
“A part of me does,” I admitted.
“And the other part is a misery-lover?” she asked.
“The other part doesn’t want… just sex,” I admitted, cringing inwardly at that admission. And Vi’s saucer-sized eyes weren’t helping that awkwardness.
“Are you shitting me? You want… a relationship?”
“I didn’t say… I don’t know,” I admitted. “He’s different than I expected.”
“I mean, yeah, he seems to have layers. The drug kingpin who loves his dogs and reads a lot, but is known for being violent when he’s crossed, but also generous and kind…”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “What?” I asked, not knowing what the look on her face said.
“I was really the wrong choice to admit this to,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m no better at the whole relationship thing than you are.”
“I think that might be why I told you,” I admitted.
“That makes sense, I guess,” she agreed. “I have no advice to give you, though. Except, it would be stupid not to keep going on a ride you are enjoying, right?”
“I don’t think I can enjoy any ride right now,” I grumbled.
“Well, when you’re all healed up. Maybe just… let it happen, right? Sex, more, whatever.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I think I pissed him off, though.”
“When?”
“Right before you got here.”
“Did you guys fight?”
“Yeah.”
“About what?”
“Him being a drug dealer, I guess.”
“I mean… I understand your feelings on that. But, also, who are we to judge? With all the family and friends we have?”
“That’s essentially what he said too.”
“I’m sure he will get over it. He doesn’t strike me as a grudge holder. Oh, this is the lunch menu,” she declared, pulling a laminated sheet out from under the tray on the table. “I think you need soup,” she declared. “And a sandwich. For me,” she clarified when I started to object.
It was nice to be around one of my people again. One who I could confide in who wouldn’t tell me I was being an idiot for fighting my feelings, who could keep even the medical shit in context and light, since she’d gotten her ass kicked on her skip-chasing job more than a few times.
It was just after dinner when she headed out. After eating half of my dinner. Off to go get tacos with our cousins. Because she would never say no to food.
“Text me if you need anything. But, like, this hospital has nicer shit than I do,” she said, giving me a smile as she made her way out of the door.
I would like to say that I’d been too busy with my cousin to wonder about where A had been all day.
But the fact of the matter was, I thought about him constantly. Almost obsessively.
All during Vi’s visit. Through the nurse coming in to check on me, take some more blood, ask me how I was doing and if I needed anything.
When the thoughts wouldn’t stop when I tried to lose myself in some mindless TV, I took myself into the bathroom, washing my face, brushing my teeth, and doing another whore’s bath before taking myself to sleep.
He still hadn’t shown.
And there was no denying that the regret had steadily turned to worry, not knowing where he was, what he was doing, if he was hurt, or even still alive.
I fell asleep to those worries.
When I woke up around two in the morning, though, I was no longer alone in the room.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A
When I heard the pain in her voice over the phone, the entire fucking universe fell silent.