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That’s not Violet’s voice.
Did I seriously just ask Garret if he misses me? Pulling the phone away from my ear, I look at the name at the top of the call.
Garret
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
Immediately, my forehead starts to sweat, and my drumming heart in my chest is relentless.
“Oh!” My voice practically squeaks as I step away from the restaurant and stand on the side of the pier.
The other end of the phone is quiet.
“I was just talking to Violet. I figured she forgot to tell me something.” I know I don’t owe him an explanation, but my embarrassment makes me word vomit. Looking over my shoulder, I desperately want to get off this call and back to my plans. “What is it, Garret? I’m kind of in a hurry.”
There’s a pause on the other end of the phone. I think he may have hung up on me, but before I can pull the phone away from my ear to check if we’re still connected, he says, “We need to talk. When’s a good time for you?”
Frustrated, I say, “I don’t think there’s much for us to talk about. Can we figure this out later? I really have to go.”
“This won’t take long, just hear me out.”
“Uh-huh,” I say, barely listening. I’m already late, and all I want to do is find Aiden and his friends.
55
Aiden
“Want to do a pitcher of ‘mosas?” Chad asks the table like he’s a ringleader full of bright ideas.
Ethan and Em say, “Sure,” as I say, “Hell no.”
They get a pitcher, and I get a beer. I only like beer and bourbon. That fruity shit gives me a headache.
I still haven’t seen Sam, and honestly, I’m hoping it stays that way. It would have been better if I could have come to Florida and left without her ever knowing I was here, but I guess that would have been asking too much.
I should have known better.
Em is still good friends with Sam, so I’m sure Ethan sees her all the time. Chad has probably hooked up with her by now for all I know. I don’t blame them for being friends with her. If I were in their shoes, I’d still be friends with her, too.
I’m not in their shoes, though. I’m in mine, and they’re uncomfortable as hell. I left an ex-girlfriend, and my closest group of friends, and their world kept turning. It was only my world that felt like it came crashing to a screeching halt. Moving back to New York was a desperate attempt to keep my sanity. I think they were all pissed at me when I first left, but there’s no way I could have stayed here after everything that happened. I would have been torturing myself.
To be fair, it still feels like the past year has been its own form of torture, but at least I didn’t have to see her. Sam was out of sight, out of mind, and eventually, I stopped caring.
Whoever said that thing about the opposite of love being indifference was right.
The server brings our drinks, and I take off the orange slice they put on my beer because garnish is stupid.
Bringing the glass to my lips, I’m tempted to chug it. My heel bounces against the patio, and I find myself glancing at every person who walks by our table to see if it’s Sam. I don’t understand my fucking head sometimes. I want to see Claire, and I don’t want to see Sam, yet every time I look up, my first thought is that it might be Sam.
I haven’t even finished my beer yet, but as our server walks by, I flag him down and ask for another. After what happened with Claire this morning, and knowing that Sam is here now, my nerves are jacked.
? ? ?
I’m on my fourth beer in a fairly short amount of time when it happens. Sam slides into our table like it’s old times, and seeing her leaves me stunned. I know I’m not the first person to feel awkward around an ex, but since Sam is pretty much the only real ex I’ve had, this is new territory for me. She manages to nestle herself between Em and Chad, and I do my best to give her an uninterested nod as I try to hide the fact that my hands are probably shaking.
Em smiles at her friend before looking at me and mouthing be nice.
This is the shit that pisses me off. I shouldn’t have to be nice.
