Page 68 of Josephine and Clay

My smile comes easier now.

That surprises me.

The room is still dark. My leg still hurts. I’m still stuck here in Buckhorn with my body laid up and my head not much better.

But for the first time all day, the tension loosens.

I stop on a message from three nights after the fall.

Josie: You still awake?

I was.

Didn’t answer.

I scrub a hand over my face and keep reading.

There are two more after that.

Josie: Long day?

Josie: Or are you ignoring me on purpose for character-building reasons?

I couldn’t respond then—I didn’t have the strength—and now… now it’s probably been too long, right? I mean, what’s she supposed to think? That I got bored, moved on, found someone easier in some bar after a ride.

I’m sure she’d rather speak to that guy again than to me.

I’m no longer far away from her, but I also can’t see her while I’m this way. Luckily, she doesn’t know any of that, so why don’t I…

Clay: Little bit of both.

I erase it. Too flippant.

Try again.

Clay: Broke my leg.

Erase. Too abrupt. Too much.

I stare at the blank text box.

Then my thumb starts moving before I can overthink it.

Clay: Been off the grid. Sorry. Had a bit of drama but all good… how about you?

I read it twice, almost delete the whole thing. Instead I hit send.

The message flies off into the dark, and suddenly I’m wide awake in a whole new way.

I set the phone on my chest and wait.

Nothing.

Which is reasonable. It’s past midnight. She’s probably asleep. She has work. A real life. Better things to do than answer the idiot who dropped off the face of the earth and then resurfaced with a broken leg and an apology.

Still, my eyes keep drifting back to the screen.

One minute.