AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bradford nods, as though he’s read my mind and understands perfectly. “With the time difference and cell service, I don’t know if I’ll be able to call that often,” he says.
“It’s okay,” I tell him. “Have a great time, and let me know when you get back. I’ll be here,” I say, trying for some insouciant charm, but instead sound pathetic.
Bradford leans over and kisses me, softly. “I’ll miss you, Ragnar.”
“I’ll miss you, too.”
He looks at me for a few long seconds, then gets out of the car. I realize that I can’t watch him literally walk away. Instead, I step on the gas and drive to Gorlag and Emily’s house, trying very hard not to think about anything. When I enter through the kitchen door, though, Gorlag’s sitting at the table, frowning at his computer.
“Hey!” he says in surprise. “I thought you were going to be out all day.”
“Change of plans,” I sigh, sitting down. “Bradford needs to leave for a gig.”
“That sucks. But he’s coming back to Green Haven, right?”
“Yeah. He’s not sure how long he’ll be gone, though.”
“Ragnar, this isn’t a crisis,” Gorlag says. “This is a normal occurrence in relationships.”
“I know,” I say, annoyed.
“Then why do you look like he killed your puppy?”
I snort. “You have been living with humans for too long. Why would an orc care about a
puppy?”
“Fine,” Gorlag sighs. “Then why do you look like he killed your favorite electric eel? He’s going to come back to you.”
“I know that,” I say. “I trust him and everything. That’s not what I’m, I don’t know, worried about.”
“What are you worried about, then?”
“It just feels like old times, in the worst kind of way. Like Bradford’s getting ready to break it off with me again.”
“You have a selective memory sometimes,” Gorlag snorts.
“What? He did dump me when we were in boarding school,” I remind him.
“Yeah, because you wouldn’t admit that you were into him!” Gorlag says. “You didn’t want anyone to know that you were attached, that you cared. You can hardly blame Bradford for breaking it off then.”
“I don’t blame him,” I sigh. “I never did.”
“Then why are you comparing then and now?”
I shake my head, frustrated that I can’t make my old friend understand how I’m feeling. “Look, I couldn’t even watch him walk away earlier.”
“Why not?”
I sigh. “Because there’s a stupid part of me that’s afraid he’ll never come back.”
“Ragnar, I get it. I’ve been there with Emily. But you have to trust that this time is different,” Gorlag says.
I nod, but his words have done little to quiet the sense of dread building inside of me. We’re older now, and we are different. But what if that’s not enough?
17
BRADFORD
