Page 51 of Believe in Caloosa Springs

“Babe?”

“Hmm?” His prompting pulled me back in, and I wondered if I’d missed a question.

“I said that I was looking forward to this evening. Are you okay? You’re being a little distant… did I mess up again?”

“No! No, not at all…”Unless you count being so perfect that you’re destroying my life and trapping me in this one-horse hellhole.“Just answering some emails and I got a little distracted. I’m looking forward to it, too.”

“Okay,” he said smoothly, but I could tell I’d left him a little ill at ease. If only I hadn’t been a cunt and just stopped talking to him because my feelings freaked me out when we hadn’t even slept together yet. Now, I bet he worried about me doing it again.

Why wouldn’t he?

“Tian?”

You might as well just spill your guts and let him decide to end whatever this is. Then you don’t have to feel guilty about not staying here for him.

But how? Did I just come out and say it?

“Have you ever seen the movie Pretty Woman?” I asked abruptly.

“Pretty Woman?” he asked, repeating the words back to me. “About the hooker?”

“Y-yeah. How do youfeelabout that movie?”

“Um, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen it, honestly. I knowaboutit, but I couldn’t tell you what happens. Is that what we are watching tonight?”

You’re not a hooker, you’re a dumb bitch. This is the worst example in history!

I tried desperately to come up with another example, but none of the 90’s rom-coms I’d memorized featured a plot about a slutty cam boy jerking off for perverts all over the World Wide Web.

How did one go about explaining a cam house to a normal person? Where there were cameras wired all over the place live-streaming everything that happens… and I did meaneverything.Constantly being watched every time you showered, made a meal, jerked off, had sex. Basically your entire life, even the most intimate, private moments, all laid out for the world to see, any time, day or night.

“Have you ever had a fish tank?” I blurted.

“Mmm, nope,” he said. “Babe, are you stoned?”

I clenched my teeth and quietly smacked the palm of my hand against my forehead. “Yeah… yep. Sorry, totally baked. I’m not much fun.”

“It’s okay. Don’t apologize. I gotta head back in. You just relax and enjoy your high. I’ll see you soon.”

“Can’t wait,” I said.

Christ.

I ended the call and opened up my text thread with Mandy.

ME:We’re watching Pretty Woman tonight.

MANDY:random… but ok.

Chapter Fourteen

Porter

I grabbed the car keys and the box of chocolate chip cookies off the bed and hit the light switch. If all went well, I wouldn’t see my little home again until some time tomorrow. The thought of waking up next to Tian again brought a smile to my face. I locked the front door behind me and made quick steps towards the car.

The sky was clear, but the winter night was cold and unforgiving. I should have grabbed my hat. It was an afterthought that wasn’t worth the double back at that point.

When I opened the car door, the dim overhead light illuminated the space enough to see a body sitting in the passenger’s seat.

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