AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I took one of the Hershey Kisses and silently unwrapped it, putting it in my mouth. The chocolate started to melt on my tongue and I relished the sweetness of it.
“You don’t really talk much,” she commented.
I felt myself flush again, not sure if she was insulting me.
She continued with an encouraging smile, seeming to have noticed my discomfort. “I like that. Everyone around me is always talking, talking, talking. Sometimes I just want to yell at everyone to be quiet so I can hear myself think.”
I smiled a genuine smile, feeling proud that Cassie admired a trait in me.
“Wanna come over today?” she asked as she unwrapped her Hershey Kiss.
“Why?” I blurted out without thinking. I didn’t understand why she was trying to befriend me—a small quiet girl who spent most of her time inside her own head.
Cassie laughed like I had said something funny. Her laugh was lilting and musical and completely infectious. I started giggling as well, although I had no idea what she found so funny.
“I like you, Maddie,” she announced with conviction. “I think we’re going to be really good friends.”
I usually hated the nickname Maddie, but coming from Cassie’s lips, I suddenly didn’t seem to mind it anymore.
That had been the start of a decade-long friendship where we had become more like sisters than just friends. My chest ached at the memory and the loss of her in this world and in my life.
I tried to clear my head. It was only natural to be preoccupied with thoughts of Cassie since her birthday was coming up, but dwelling on her loss wouldn’t do me any good.
I got out of bed and padded to the bathroom, grimacing at my wild hair and sleep-bleary eyes that looked back at me in the mirror. After a quick shower, I had coffee and toast and then turned on my computer to work on this week’s article.
Despite the distractions of Cassie’s memory, I was able to get a decent amount of work done for my article. It was about a local restaurant that was 100% volunteer driven, where customers could get a hot meal and pay whatever they could afford. The grumbling of my stomach finally distracted me from my writing, and when I checked the time, I was surprised to see that it was already almost one o’clock.
I went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, staring at the dismal contents. I hadn’t gone grocery shopping in a while, and it showed. I ended up just nuking one of the frozen meals that I always kept stocked in the freezer and called it a day.
As I ate, my mind wandered to Logan. I wondered if he was eating lunch or if he was too busy working to take a break. I knew he often skipped lunch with his insane workload, and I found myself worrying about him. I frowned, realizing that I should be thinking about Adam instead of Logan. I gave Adam a quick call, but his phone went straight to voicemail, and I hung up without leaving a message.
After lunch, I went back to work, but it was harder to concentrate this time. I found myself frequently glancing at my silent phone until I finally forced myself to put it in my bedroom and switch the ringer to silent so I would stop obsessing.
My discipline paid off, and I spent the rest of the afternoon diligently working on my article. It was six o’clock when I finally turned off the computer. I stretched with a yawn and rolled my stiff shoulders, feeling the strain of having been hunched over my computer for so many hours.
I was disappointed when I retrieved my cell phone from the bedroom and saw that I had no missed calls and the only text I had received was from Emily, complaining about her difficult client at work and how she wanted to commit hari-kari on herself to avoid the woman.
I wrote back a suitably sympathetic response and decided that the only thing I was going to do tonight was sit in front of my television and eat Chinese food. After I ordered some Kung Pao Chicken and fried rice, I turned on the television and waited for the delivery to arrive.
I was rewarded by the buzzer to the entrance of my apartment building sounding only twenty minutes later. I pressed the button to unlock the front door without bothering to check that it was the delivery guy through the intercom since I wasn’t expecting anyone else. After a few seconds, there was a knock at my door and I grabbed my wallet before opening it. I blinked in surprise when I saw Logan standing in front of me instead of a man bearing Chinese food.
“What are you doing here?” I blurted out. The last person I expected to show up unannounced was Logan, especially considering how our last meeting had ended. Despite having spoken to him on the phone yesterday and having watched Rear Window together, I still felt uncomfortable seeing him in person. I was still keenly aware of his physical presence—something I thought would have worn off by now. He was dressed for work in a grey suit that was perfectly tailored to his body. His black dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar and showed off the tanned expanse of his throat. His tie had been discarded sometime during the day, which combined with his mussed blond hair, made him look like a sophisticated, urbane man coming home from a long day at work. I was painfully aware of how grubby I looked in my sweatpants and t-shirt. I was thankful that I was at least wearing a bra.
“I guess it’s too much to expect to be greeted with a hug and a cheerful hello,” he said drily as he deftly walked past me into the apartment. I was still standing there with my wallet in hand, feeling surprised yet pleased by his sudden appearance. I closed the door and followed him into the living room. He took off his jacket, draped it across the back of the couch, and plopped down like he was planning on staying for a while.
“You shouldn’t just buzz people up like that,” he admonished. “I could have been some serial killer pressing on random buzzers until someone let me in.”
I dropped my wallet on the coffee table and put my hands on my hips. “First of all, I was expecting you to be my Chinese food. Second of all, you never answered my question. What are you doing here? I thought hell had to freeze over for you to leave work before seven o’clock.”
“I made an exception today since I got so much work done over the weekend,” he explained easily. “Good choice on the Chinese food. What exactly are we having?”
“I’m having Kung Pao Chicken and fried rice,” I answered acerbically, dropping onto the couch next to him. “I have no idea what you’ll be having, since I only ordered enough food for one person.”
Despite my tone, I couldn’t deny how happy I was to see him. I had been afraid that things would be weird between us, but the momentary awkwardness I had felt when I first opened the door had disappeared. We seemed to be slipping easily into our comfortable friendship.
“It’s okay. I’m willing to share.” Logan picked up the remote and started flicking through the channel guide. “Nothing good comes on Monday nights,” he commented conversationally.
