AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I didn’t want to stop reading.” He grinned as he handed me back my phone. “It’s good. Really good, Polly.”
“It’s okay.” I looked away from him, even though a warmness filled my heart. “I know I have some tense issues, but…”
“When the grandmother died…” He touched his heart. “And then the owl showed up. I almost wanted to cry.”
“Really?” I asked, pleased. “I wasn’t sure if that was too sentimental.”
“Not at all. And when Simon got into that car, even though his mother begged him not to. Heartbreaking.”
“Did you expect her to die?”
“Not at all.” His eyes were dark. “I definitely thought Simon would be the one in the wreck. But no, now he lives with the pain.”
“Every action has a consequence,” I said softly. “Be it good or bad.”
“That’s true.” He nodded. “So which character is based on you?”
“What do you mean?”
“They say every writer has one character that is more like themselves,” he said softly. “So which one are you?”
“Can you guess?” I asked softly.
“And if I guess right? What do I get?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged.
“You stay in my hotel room tonight?” He grinned. “And for the rest of the trip.”
“You wish.” I laughed. “You will never guess.”
“So then you take the bet?”
“Fine,” I said, crossing my arms. “So which character is modeled on me?” I stared at him as he looked thoughtful. I didn’t know if I wanted him to guess the right answer or not. Did I want to sleep in his room? I was pretty sure that it would be pretty hard to stay apart if we were sharing the same bed. I didn’t know if that bothered me or not.
“Let me think,” he said. “It’s not Simon’s girlfriend, Louisa. She’s far too evil and selfish. And I don’t see you as evil. It’s not Brooke, the sister. She’s self-centered and a bully, and I can tell you’re not a bully.” He paused. “Grandma is the most lovable character, but I don’t think you’re narcissistic enough to make yourself that character.”
“You really loved Grandma,” I said softly.
“She was the epitome of a selfless character.” He nodded. “She actually reminded me of my nana.” His eyes drifted to a far-off place for a few seconds. “She was an amazing woman.” He shook his head, and then his eyes lit up. “You’re Bruno.”
“The dog?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “He’s loving, and he’s always there for Simon. He always has his back even when Simon forgets to feed him or leaves him outside. And when Simon’s mama dies, Bruno lays there with him in the field for days and then goes to get help when Simon overdoses. He’s loyal and loving.” His eyes looked bright as he stared at me. “Yet he’s not above biting someone, if he has to.” He grinned. “He sacrifices himself for the greater good.”
“You think I sacrifice myself?”
“I wouldn’t call you a martyr or anything, but I do think that you think of other people before yourself in a lot of instances, so am I right?”
“Maybe, a little bit,” I admitted, surprised at how he’d been able to read me. “I mean I didn’t go into it writing Bruno like that, but I guess he exhibits a lot of the traits that I have. And I do feel an affinity to him.”
“So then I won.” His eyes shone as the plane pulled up to our gate. “Tonight you sleep in my bed.”
“You did win.” I nodded. “But just because I’m sleeping in your bed doesn’t mean anything is going to happen, Max.”
“Who said I wanted anything to happen?” He grinned wickedly at me. “I just wanted to save money on paying for two hotel rooms.”
“Likely story.” I shook my head. “We both know that you have plans for the night.”
