Page 56 of Miss Typed

I was being dismissed, and judging by the triumphant look in Miranda’s eyes, I wasn’t the only one who noticed it.

My emotions were swirling to the point I couldn’t trust myself to say anything. Instead, I simply turned on my heel and left without a word, every step away feeling like a slap in the face.

By the time I returned home, I’d settled into a zone of rage. I was quiet and calm on the outside with tumultuous emotions warring on the inside. I was hurt and embarrassed. But mostly, I was angry. Angry with Aiden for coming into my life and turning it upside down and upset with myself for allowing my feelings to get hurt.

Teagan was doing her nails on the sofa when I walked in. She was wearing her T-shirt with the words “Classy with a side of Crazy” splashed across the front.

“Whoa. I’ve never seen you wear such a sad expression on your face, Chloe Bear. What’s going on?”

I dropped down onto the sofa beside her. “Aiden’s ex-girlfriend flew all the way from New Hampshire to see him, and evidently, he forgot he’d invited me over.”

She waved her hands around to dry them. “Oh, shit. She was there in his apartment?”

“Yep. She answered the door while he came out fresh from the shower. She’s beautiful and completely satisfied that he’d dismissed me.” I put my hands over my face. My adrenaline had run its course, and now I was left only feeling sad. “I’m a stupid girl. He told me he didn’t want a relationship, but maybe he just meant with me.”

Arms came around me to hug me close. “He’s an idiot to have dismissed you. And I’m sorry. But you should know you’re gorgeous and I’m sure this chick doesn’t hold a candle to you. Also, I may have some pink polish in your hair, as I don’t think they were quite dry. Sorry.”

We both burst out laughing, especially when one hot-pink nail stuck to my hair. “Thanks. I needed that.”

“No, what you need is a night out.”

It was as if she’d said the magic words. I perked right up. Maybe a distraction was just what I needed. “Where?” We were both on a strict budget. This was especially true if I were to pay Aiden back and also continue to help out my mom.

“I have the place. And I have the perfect shirt to put you in the right mindset.”

She quickly hurried into her bedroom, returning with a black T-shirt with silver sparkling letters across the front spelling out “Boys Suck.” “Appropriate, I think.”

Teagan had such an array of T-shirts, sweatshirts, and socks displaying a variety of sarcastic and sometimes over-the-top things that I wondered if she was hinting at the fact she, too, had been hurt. She wouldn’t talk about it, but something told me her heart had once been broken.

“It’s perfect,” I said.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Aiden

“Fuck,” I muttered, watching Chloe leave my apartment. I was torn about following her, but my priority had to be getting Miranda out of my apartment and on a plane home. My ex was already emotionally unstable, so chasing after Chloe would only make things a hundred times worse.

“Who the hell does she think she is?” Miranda asked after closing my front door.

Case in point, my ex was already freaking out. “We work together. What did you say to her?”

She shrugged, forming her perfectly injected lips into a practiced pout. She was still an attractive woman, but I found zero interest in her. Seeing Chloe stand next to her, I’d realized my taste had changed for the better when it came to women.

“I told the truth. You were in the shower.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, realizing how it must’ve appeared to Chloe. The real truth was I’d escaped to my bathroom in order to book Miranda’s return trip. To buy some time, I’d then taken a shower behind the locked door. “And?”

She huffed, plopping down on the sofa. “I also mentioned I was your girlfriend.”

My headache was turning into a full-blown migraine.

“And the little twit, who is much too young for you by the way, had the nerve to say, ‘Don’t you mean ex-girlfriend?’ Which means what? You two have been discussing me?”

A chuckle threatened to escape my throat, but I quickly covered it with a cough so Miranda wouldn’t notice. It was both amusing and attractive to watch Chloe’s sassy side bloom. “It’s difficult not to discuss you when you call the office incessantly, and now you’ve shown up unannounced.”

“Is she why you’re here in this awful place? It won’t last. Is she even aware of your disability?”

The mention of the D-word hit hard. Harder than it should. Harder than I’d ever admit, especially to Miranda. It reminded me why I preferred to stay numb inside. “Your flight departs in three hours, so we should leave now.”