Page 26 of While You Were Trending

“Jesus Christ, it’s a cult. You’re in a cult.”

“It is not a cult.”

“If it walks like a cult and talks like a cult, it’s?—”

“It’s acommune, and it’snone of your goddamn business.”

A commune. Thefuck?

Who lives in a commune? “Is this some kind of re-creation ofOn the Rhodeswhen you and your mom?—”

“There is no discussing my history. Or my relatives. Or anything with me at all. Mabel and Cricket and Dori will take care of assisting you with anything you need.” She winces and grabs her head. “And stop making me mad. I’m still too hungover for that.”

In my experience, Ginny is practically never mad.

Alex could bring his gear bag home packed with dirty laundry and let it sit in the sun for three days, and when Ginny noticed, she’d smile, roll her eyes, and wash it for him.

Whenever he’d have a party, she’d clean up without complaint. Not even frustrated sighs.

She made dinner.

She did the dishes.

She kept up with her own classwork, then later, after we graduated and were drafted and moved to Indianapolis, she found a marketing job and kept up with it too.

And she was always smiling about it.

But I make her mad.

I could always make her mad when I tried hard enough.

And she was the only one.

I never made anyone else mad.

Not the way I made her mad.

“Okay. It’s a commune. You don’t exist here. I keep to myself, get my shit done as fast as possible, keeping everything a secret, and then I leave. That about cover it?”

It’s something more than a commune.

I will be thinking of Ginny existing every moment of the day.

I will be listening in at every opportunity to find out why she’s here and what’s actually going on beyond the wine.

And I don’t want to leave as fast as possible.

I want—no, Ineedto make sure Ginny’s safe.

I’ve always wanted to make sure Ginny’s safe, even when I didn’t want her to know that I was watching out for her.

Even when it’s not my business. When I should let her go.

I’ve thought about Ginny Rhodes every single day since the first day we met, and no matter how much I tell myself to let go, there’s not a scenario in the world where she won’t always occupy a part of me.

“And the location fee just went up by twenty percent,” Ginny adds.

I almost smile. The Ginny I used to know would’ve never.