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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Clarke
“Too bright. Too bright,” I groan, rolling so that I’m facing away from the windows.
Bonnie’s light laughter fills the room seconds before the couch cushion above my head dips.
“Rise and shine.” She pushes my hair away from my face. “It’s a beautiful new day.”
“No it isn’t.”
“Come on, sleepyhead. I need you to get up.”
“Why should I?”
“Because, you’re leaving in a couple of hours and I thought maybe we could grab an early lunch before you do.”
The pit in my stomach re-opens. Oh, who am I kidding, it never closed. But it did shrink in Bonnie’s presence. Probably because we’ve spent the entire week drinking and doing some really emotionally productive things. Like buying every magazine we could find with Treyton in it so we could go through them and draw penises all over his face. Or going to a dive bar for karaoke, singing every angry love song we could find while flipping middle fingers to the empty tables in front of us. Or my favorite, taping a picture of Treyton to a wall and throwing darts at his head.
I knew San Francisco would be good for my soul, and it was. But I’ll be leaving with the same broken heart I came with. So really, did I accomplish anything in my week long hiatus from the real world?
“I don’t want to leave,” I whine.
“I know. Trust me, I’d keep you here forever if I could.”
“Why can’t you keep me forever?”
“Because you have a life in L.A. An agency to run. Your parents.”
“Maybe I want to close the agency. Maybe I want to branch out and do something totally different.” I roll onto my back.
“You don’t mean that.”
“Maybe I do, Bon.”
“You’re just having a hard time right now. But you love what you do. And you’ve always taken such pride in running the agency that your father built. You’d never forgive yourself if you let that go.”
“What’s the point? I’m going to be miserable either way.” I tilt my head back to look up at her.
“No you won’t. Eventually, this pain will fade and you’ll find your way out of the dark.” She slides a hand across my cheek. “Because you’re Clarke fucking Hamilton, and no man, not even Treyton Tyler, can break you.”
I smile at my best friend, wondering how I would’ve ever gotten through these last few days without her.
When I showed up on her doorstep unannounced, she dropped everything. Because that’s what she does. And that’s what I would do for her in return, if she ever needed me to.
“Speaking of men, you haven’t said much about Beckett since I got here.” I force myself into an upright position, shifting to set my feet to the floor.
“Because there’s nothing to say. We had a good time. He went back to L.A. That’s that.” She shrugs.
“That’s that?” I give her an apprehensive look.
“Yeah. I told you, I don’t want anything serious. And if your situation has taught me anything, the last thing I want to do is put myself in a position to be hurt like that. No offense.”
“None taken. Can’t really be offended if it’s true.”
“Okay, enough moping. Let’s get you dressed.” She pats my leg. “I want to take you to my favorite little bistro before you need to hit the road. That six hour drive isn’t going to drive itself, and I’m sure your parents are eager to have you back.”
“I should have flown,” I groan. “An hour on a plane sounds a lot more appealing right now.”
