“I make no promises,” I tease.
He chuckles, kissing my shoulder one last time, and slips into the ensuite bathroom, the door clicking softly behind him.
I exhale, reach for my smoothie, then, without really thinking, grab my phone from the nightstand.
A flurry of notifications.
My stomach dips, just a little.
The first message was from earlier. Sweet, almost normal.
Brian
Hope your trip’s going well.
Miss you.
I stare at it, my thumb hovering. My chest tightens; not with longing, but with muscle memory. I know he’s going to flip.
More messages an hour ago.
Brian
You haven’t answered.
Guess you’re busy fucking someone out there.
My throat goes dry.
Another fucking buzz.
Brian
I’ll take care of it when you’re back.
You act like anyone else would want you.
I swallow hard, the warmth Reed left behind cooling fast.
Brian
You’re nothing without me.
You never will be; all those followers are from me.
My fingers curl around my phone, knuckles whitening.
I quickly lock the screen, pressing my phone face down on the nightstand just as the bathroom door opens again.
Reed steps back in, a soft smile already there, unaware.
He crosses the room and settles behind me again, his arm sliding back around my waist like it never left.
“You win,” he murmurs, kissing my shoulder. “I was gone for two minutes, and I already missed you.”
I nod, forcing a smile, and lean back into him anyway, because his warmth still feels like safety, and right now I need that more than answers.
His lips brush my temple. “You okay?”
