AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She pulled back and gave me an odd look. “Yes, but if you haven’t banged your mystery man, you two have to pay.”
I laughed and pulled her in for another hug. I wanted to make sure that I saw her one last time. It might be my last time ever seeing her.
After I made my plans with Lisa, there was nothing left to do except clean the apartment.
And wait.
Surprisingly, Sunder didn’t begrudge me the ritual of cleansing the space, at least not openly.
The evening before our planned departure, I said goodbye to my empty apartment. Cleaning done; trash removed. It looks completely different from the winter sunset peeking through the open windows. Sunder booked a hotel tonight, so we’d be fully rested for tomorrow.
“Ready?” he asks.
Before I can answer, a demanding knock echoes through the room. Bobble runs to the door ahead of me, tail flicking with curiosity. When I swing it open, I’m taken aback by the face I find waiting for me.
Tim’s eyes dart to Sunder standing behind me. Before we say anything, he pushes past me, forcing himself into the apartment we once shared.
“Tim, what are you doing here?”
Sunder’s back is straight, and I recognize the position of his feet as one for grappling. My eyes widen, and I shake my head slightly.
He looks at me, then back at Tim. I can tell he’s thinking about doing something. I gently shake my head again, and for a split second, I think he’s going to do exactly the opposite of what I want.
But he steps away, fading into the background, leaning his back against the wall with crossed arms, presumably to let us have a talk.
Tim, for some reason, seems to be more or less blind to Sunder’s hulking presence. “I heard you were leaving town. I came to get the stuff I left here, but obviously you just threw it all away.” He gestures to the empty room.
“What stuff? You took everything when you left.”
“I left some Xbox games here.”
I’m at a loss for words. There were no games. Because Tim cleared out our apartment when he left me for Hannah. I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth before responding.
“Ok. Well, sorry. They must not be very important since you left them here for over a year. You could have gotten them at any time.”
Ignoring my logic, he steps up to me now. His eyes search mine. He’s on edge. “So, where are you going?”
So that’s the real purpose of this visit. I almost bark out a laugh, because it’s typical Tim to barge back in when I’m moving on. I raise my eyebrow at him. “Why do you even care?”
Tim blinks at me. I didn’t realize it before, but he sort of looks like a turtle, and right now his flat reptile eyes seem to be unable to comprehend what I’m saying.
“What do you mean, why do I care? I’m not allowed to know what’s happening with you. Is that how you see me, just a total stranger who means nothing? So much so that you don’t even tell me you’re leaving the country for a year?”
I take a steady breath, rubbing my hands over my face, trying to find some patience.
“Last time I talked to you, you hung up on me. We’re not friends. You’re getting married, Tim. To the woman you cheated on me with. Why the hell would we talk? We owe each other nothing, and you make that abundantly clear every time we speak. I told my friends where I was going. But you and I… We aren’t friends,” I repeat firmly.
He sneers. The last word hangs in the air between us. His eyes burn when he gestures to Sunder. “And this guy is?”
Sunder perks up from his relaxed position against the wall, stepping up to Tim who only comes up to his chin. “Sunder.”
“Yeah. Heard about you. Went to AGS and threatened to beat up Jasper of all people. Real nice, Mira.” Tim says.
Heat pools in my cheeks, and my eyes are downcast. For some reason Tim’s words affect me. An embarrassing reprimand.
Tim, oblivious to my discomfort or perhaps to drive it home, bulldozes ahead.
“And now you’re leaving to travel the world with him? I’m just… at a loss. I know me marrying Hannah is hard on you, but you don’t have to ruin your life over it. I care about you.”
