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He doesn’t reply, eating his cereal as though I’m a ghost trying to communicate with the living.
All right, then.
I swivel to leave, ready to jog up the stairs.
“Gem?” he calls behind me.
I spin to glance at him, and his mouth opens for a second. I get the feeling that he wants to say something important, and for a moment there, I’m dumb enough to think he might be ready to acknowledge what happened.
“Let me know if you plan on showing up this late every Sunday. I’d rather not starve.”
On that note, he continues to eat his cereal and treat me like a piece of furniture. Of course. Me getting here late on Sundays means no more meal prep for the week, hence no more food for His Majesty.
Irritated, I don’t waste my breath answering and hurry up the stairs. I’m bursting into my bedroom and dumping my belongings on my bed a few seconds later.
Everything is officially back to normal.
And the boy who whispered dirty little secrets in my ear…?
He’s not coming back.
* * *
I’m the worst dog sitter ever.
Seriously, what kind of dog sitter takes a nine-year-old dog on a walk in the middle of a heat wave? To be fair, I didn’t know when I decided to take Lexie for a walk this morning that Silver Springs would turn into a furnace.
We’ve been walking around town for almost two hours. We had to take multiple breaks not to die of thirst, and I’m beginning to wonder if I should just call Aveena and beg her for a ride.
We’re all out of water, too.
And we’re a thirty-minute walk away from the house.
Not my brightest moment.
I know enough is enough when Lexie starts panting next to me. I’m wearing shorts and a tank top, and I’m practically melting. I can’t imagine how hot she must be with all that fur.
I grab my phone out of my pocket, ready to dial Aveena’s number, when a text pops up on my screen.
A text from Finn.
We ran into him on our way out earlier. He’d just rolled out of bed, looking like a fucking god, per usual.
I click his message instantly.
Finn: You’ve been gone almost two hours.
Another message comes through a second later.
Finn: Is Lexie okay?
I swallow a scoff at his bluntness.
We’re both okay. Thanks for asking.
I text him back quickly.
Dia: It’s hot as shit, and we’re all out of water. We might be a while.
