Page 173 of Don't Leave Me

“Fine,” she surrendered. “It’s Jack, isn’t it? What’s his last name?” she asked after a moment, calming down.

“Yes. Jack Maynor. I’ve taken his last name,” I answered.

“Okay then,” she said weakly.

“I’ll call you in a few days. I love you,” I said, trying my best to sound sweet, but I was exhausted now.

Silence. “I love you too, Hana,” she said quietly and hung up.

I sighed as I handed Jack my phone.

“She took it better than I thought,” Jack raised his eyebrows at me.

I gave him a crooked, weak smile. “She’ll get over it,” I shrugged.

“Thank you for defending me,” he grinned, putting his arm around my waist.

I nodded. “I’m used to defending myself with them, especially her,” I explained. “First it was defending my decision to go to Yale for writing. She wanted me to be a doctor, or a lawyer,” I rolled my eyes. “She gotrealhuffy when I decided to live in Brooklyn and not Manhattan,” I laughed.

Jack smiled at me – I was opening up to him voluntarily and he was enjoying it, I could tell.

“You always lived in Brooklyn then? In Williamsburg?”

He was now laying on his side on the bed, propping his head up with his hand.

I did the same.

“Yeah, always Williamsburg. It feels like home to me more than anywhere,” I explained, staring off out the window – and then I realized that I had said it felt more like home to me than anywhere - did that include Chelsea when I lived with Michael?

“I always knew Chelsea was too stuffy for you,” Jack gazed at me lovingly.

I didn’t say anything; I was still disoriented from my subconscious confession.

“Is that where you’d want to live, if you could live anywhere in New York City?” he went on curiously.

I smiled. “Yes, I think so,” I nodded.

Jack seemed to think for a moment.

“Why don’t we look for a place there when we get back to the city?” he suggested, eyeing me.

He was giving me more normalcy? I was going to take it and hold onto whatever I could get.

“I would love that,” I smiled widely at him.

Jack smiled down at my barely covered naked body.

“So we’ll fuck now, then go work out at the gym downstairs, then go fuck discreetly in their pool. How’s that sound for an eventful night?” His voice was low and husky again.

I gave him my slow, crooked smile. It was amazing how fast he could turn me on.

“Sounds perfect.”

46

Chapter 46

Billie.

---