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Alex: Don’t you dare! Do the business. Then you can come home and do me.
My lips parted open, shock and heat slicing through my veins. Fucking hell, the memory of making her come on my fingers in the back of the limo hadn’t left my mind for a second. I needed more.
Me: Are you saying I have to earn it?
Alex: I’m saying I want all your attention when you come back. That won’t happen if you’ve left unfinished business in NYC.
Me: Are you sure you can handle all of my attention?
Alex: 100%
Me: Careful what you wish for.
Day Two:
Alex: Can you guess how many times a day a third grader says bruh?
I barely covered my laugh with a cough during a conference call at Alex’s random text. I waited a half hour until the call was over before texting her back.
Me: Four?
Alex: Try forty-two.
Me: You actually counted?
Alex: Yep. It’s super cute the first twenty times.
Me: Say hi to Nora for me.
Alex: She says she owes you a batch of her famous cinnamon muffins for the iPad donation.
Warmth spread through my chest, a sense of satisfaction rippling through me. I’d made a difference for Alex’s best friend. I loved helping by donating funds to larger charities in need, but there was something inherently wonderful about helping people in my community first-hand. It made me realize why Alex enjoyed all the volunteer hours she physically put in—the sense of pride and compassion was unmatched when you saw the results in real time.
Me: She doesn’t owe me anything.
Alex: Never say no to her muffins. They’re the best.
Me: Okay, but only if you eat one with me.
Alex: Deal.
Day Three:
Me: Have you ever noticed how judgmental Netflix is?
Alex: How so?
Me: If you watch so many episodes in a row, it stops and asks you if you’re still watching. It’s like a passive-aggressive way to say you should be doing more productive things.
Alex: LOL. I’ve never watched enough to get to that point, I guess.
Me: Of course you haven’t.
The woman never sat still for long.
Me: New goal. Get you to relax and binge long enough to see that message.
Alex: You want me to be judged by an app?
Me: I just want you.
My heart thudded against my chest as I waited for her response. I fucking missed her, even with the constant texting between meetings and the scheduled FaceTime sessions.
Alex: How many more days?
Me: Three.
Alex: When you get here, you’re going to force me to sit and watch Netflix?
Me: If that’s what you want.
Alex: What if I wanted to pull a couple of extra volunteer shifts?
Me: I’d come with you.
Alex: What if I wanted to tour a haunted building?
Me: Whatever you want, as long as I can be with you.
Alex: Still trying to make me fall for you?
I shifted on the bed where I was stretched out, the joke between us hitting differently because of how fucking badly I was already falling for her.
Me: Always.
Me: Is it working?
I hated the jolt in my chest as I let the question hang there. Hated how damn much hung on her answer. Hated that I knew she couldn’t fall for me and I wanted her to anyway.
Alex: Everything about you is working.
Me: Nice non-answer.
Alex: We’re only on week one of four.
Me: Long fucking week.
Alex: Three more days.
Me: I’m counting them down.
Day Four:
Alex: I think he misses you. He keeps looking behind me, like you’ll show up any minute.
I opened the picture she texted, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth at the sight of her walking the giant hound she loved so much.
Me: I’m easy to miss.
Alex: True. I miss you more.
My chest puffed out at the declaration. I loved the little pieces she gave me through text since she was all professional during our FaceTime sessions.
Luckily, I hadn’t had cause for incident on this trip, not that negotiating a deal this huge was easy, but I honestly believed her lessons were helping me navigate my life in a whole new way. I felt more in control than I ever had before, even when our sessions dove into much deeper topics. We’d danced around my ex’s role in my motivation for revenge and being the birth of my episodic anger, but we were still working out the unresolved issues I had surrounding that old hurt. It was difficult to get into, especially when Alex was all I could think about.
Me: Two days.
Day Five:
Me: Everyone talks about New York pizza, but the city has one of the best burger places that is so underrated.
Alex: Jealous. I had crackers and a yogurt for dinner.
I frowned down at my phone.
Me: Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you should skip on a proper meal.
Alex: I drank more water today.
I laughed, shaking my head in between bites of my dinner. The meetings had run late all day, but I’d finally made it to my favorite spot.
