AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Stepping closer, he reaches for my hand. My body betrays me by not snatching it from his grasp. I nearly fold when he rubs my ring finger, directly over the tattooed wedding band.
“I’m sorry.”
I nod once. “Get home safe.”
Slowly, he drops my hand and slips his shoes back on. My grip on the doorknob becomes sweaty fast, but I tighten my fingers, refusing to let go. I don’t know what I would try to grab onto if I did.
“I’ll text you.” He says it so surely that I have no doubt he really will.
“Alright.”
“Goodbye, Adalyn.”
“Bye.”
And then he’s gone, leaving me all alone in this big empty apartment.
* * *
By the timeI crawl into bed that night, I’m completely over being alone. I emptied my suitcase, did all of my laundry, and ate half of a freezer-burnt, frozen pizza for dinner.
I even called my publicist back after ignoring her calls for the past two days. She insists there’s a way we can fix this, but in my mind, there’s nothing to fix. So what if everyone knows I got married to an amazing man? As long as they never learn that it isn’t real, there’s nothing to worry about.
It’s safe to say she didn’t agree, but that isn’t my problem. Cooper isn’t anyone to be ashamed of. I sure as hell don’t feel that away about him.
True to his word, my darling husband texted me a few hours ago. I wasn’t expecting a message so soon, but even after our last conversation, I couldn’t make myself ignore him.
Turning away from the TV on my dresser across the room, I unlock my phone and scroll through our messages.
Cooper: Is it acceptable to go to the store and buy gelato for dinner?
Me: Depends on what kind you get.
Cooper: Raspberry?
Me: Only because that’s my favourite kind.
Cooper: Do you want some?
It takes me ten minutes to reply to him. I deleted and rewrote what I wanted to say a million times before finally hitting Send.
Me: Another time
Cooper: It’s a date.
I never replied. That was four hours ago, and now I’m wishing I had taken him up on that offer and spent the night eating gelato with him in my living room instead of alone, doing everything I didn’t want to do yet.
Jet leg has me so far past exhaustion I should have been asleep already. But no matter how many times I attempt it, I just can’t.
Tapping at my phone screen, I stare at his contact before pressing the photo I chose for him, expanding it. It’s one I took of us in the pub in Dublin after we’d started drinking but before we got hitched.
My eyes are wild, full of excitement and adventure, but Cooper’s eyes are on me, impossible to read. His grin is lazy and happy, matching mine. I run my finger over it before exiting the photo and groaning.
“Get a grip,” I mutter.
I’m about to toss my phone to my nightstand when it buzzes in my hand. The message makes my heart slam against my ribs.
Cooper: Are you awake?
