Page 63 of Chasing Hope

Breathing easily at the safe topic, I leap for some normalcy between us.

“Looks like those candles you bought me are going to come in handy.”

We fall back into something familiar, but it’s different. There’s a charge that won’t fade, a longing that won’t be ignored.

And as Matteo uses his phone’s flashlight to serve two bowls of pasta and as I light candles around the coffee table, I realize that, with a sudden jarring thought, that was the first time a man has hovered above me in the dark and it didn’t send me into a panic attack.

Chapter 23

Matteo

ICEHAWKS BITCHES

IRVING

I miss you fuckers

ASHFORD

we literally saw each other at weight training this morning

IRVING

it’s not the same

JOHNSON

I miss the games

IRVING

only 4 weeks to go!!!

JOHNSON

too far away

MATTEO

can’t believe I agree with Johnson for a change

ELLINGTON

fuck me, I only have two weeks in Greece left then

CRAWFORD

how’s it going?

ASHFORD

well he hasn’t called us to bail him out yet so he can’t be having too much fun

ELLINGTON

oh trust me

fun is definitely being had