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I promised myself when I accepted the job in the city that this would be my new beginning. A fresh start away from Alec, Lulu, and all the drama that has surrounded us over the last six years. Moving on means letting go. And while I may not be ready to let go ofhim, this letter is a start.
——
“What the hell, Hope?” Lulu sighs into my ear. “I told you to call me. I expected to hear from you last week.”
“I’m sorry, Lu. I’ve been so busy getting settled into my new apartment. Plus I started at the restaurant and it’s been crazy. I didn’t realize how intense working at a restaurant in the city would be. We turn away more people than we actually serve each night.”
“How is it? Do you love it?”
“I really do,” I admit, a smile touching my lips. The transition into my new life has been a bit of a whirlwind, but it’s kept me busy and that’s exactly what I need.
“I’m really happy for you.” The softness in her voice is something I haven’t heard in quite some time.
“Thank you.”
The familiar pit I get in my stomach every time I talk to Lulu returns. It’s a combination of guilt and regret. And while I’m glad she’s speaking to me again; I wish we could go back to the way things used to be.
“So what was it that you needed to talk to me about?” I ask, knowing that she’s not just calling to chat.
“Have you talked to Alec?” The mention of his name causes my insides to twist.
“You know I haven’t,” I say, having told her as much the last time we spoke right before I came home. Alec is a sore subject so I try to avoid that topic at all costs.
“I think there’s something you need to read.” I hear her fingertips typing on her laptop as she talks. “I’m emailing you a link right now. Read it and then call me back.”
“O-k-a-y,” I draw out, not sure what it could be that she wants me to read.
“You’ll understand once you see it.” She pauses. “There, sent. Call me back.”
“Okay.” I barely get the word out before the line goes dead.
Peeling myself off the couch, I snag my laptop off the small breakfast bar and flip it open, sliding onto one of the bar stools that make up my small eating area.
Pulling up my email, I find the one from Lulu and open it to find nothing more than a link. Not sure what I’ll find on the other end, I click it and hold my breath.
When it takes me to a magazine website, I’m a little confused. At least until I see the headline.
Almost Never–Part One
By Alec Murray
What the...
My eyes quickly scan the top of the page and I realize instantly what I’m reading. It’s a fiction piece written by Alec. Part one, published nearly four weeks ago.
His serial.
It hits me like a ton of bricks. The serial Alec was working on. The one he said he was going to publish. This must be it.
I scramble to my feet and go to the trash can in the kitchen. Digging to the bottom, I locate the notebook I tossed in there a few days ago. Thankfully, I haven’t eaten here so the only trash is a few little odds and ends that I threw away as I unpacked.
Pulling it out, I flip to the note I wrote him, and my focus goes to the bottom line.Almost never. It’s how I signed the letter.
My heart is thudding so loudly inside my chest that it’s the only sound I hear.
Going back to my laptop, I drop the notebook next to me on the counter and turn my attention back to Alec’s story.
I remember the first time I saw her. Her brown hair. The way her cheeks flushed as she looked up at me. It was like all the air was sucked out of the room. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.
