Page 87 of My Promise To Keep

‘Morning.’ He leans in to kiss my head, then heads out of the room into the bathroom.

I can’t help the frown that creases on my forehead. I feel it, deep and distracting. I head out to the kitchen and start to put on some coffee when I hear the bathroom door and turn to see him approaching.

‘Breakfast?’ I ask brightly, and he shakes his head.

‘Nah, got shit to do, I’m going to head out.’

I swallow hard and watch as he picks up his keys and leaves without saying goodbye and without kissing me. Why does this feel like he’s leaving after a one-night stand? I suddenly feel cheap — unwanted somehow, but above all, I’m confused. I thought we were okay. I need Bree.

Sitting on the bed, I hold my cell to my ear and wait for the call to connect.

‘Twinnie,’ she says brightly.

‘Bree Bree,’ I close my eyes and smile.

‘Hey, honey. You okay?’

‘Yeah.’ I hear it, the bullshit in my tone.

‘Zoe.’

‘We had a fight.’

‘You and Leo?’ I also hear the disbelief in hers.

‘Yeah.’

‘A big one?’

‘No, not really, and we made up.’

‘Get it, girl.’ Her tone makes me laugh.

‘Yeah, well, he just walked out of here like he was done after a bootie call — hardly said a word.’

‘He did? Okay, switch to video? I need to see you.’ Taking a deep breath, I do just that, swallowing the lump in my throat when I see my sister in her bedroom, getting ready for work, her cell propped up on her dresser. ‘Hey, twinnie.’ She smiles wide, holding up her finger to the camera, and I do the same. It’s our thing. Mama said we started doing it when we were around two. She has no idea why, and neither do we, but it just centers us, connects us. ‘Okay, tell me about the fight.’

‘Someone asked me about us, and I told them everything, our whole history. I didn’t think anything of it, but he got pissed.’

‘Zoe, use more words.’

I settle back against the pillows.

‘He said I brought Luke up to remind myself not to get too deep into this.’

‘Is that true?’

‘No, not at all. I am deep, and I told him that. I thought we were good, but then this morning, he was so off.’

‘Zoe, Leo has never had a relationship before, and you haven’t been in one for a long time, but both of you are trying to dive straight into this, and it can’t work that way.’ I worry my lip. ‘Honey, you haven’t been with him all that long. For the length of time you’ve been in this, most couples are still dating and getting to know each other.’

‘But we already know everything.’

‘No, you don’t, and what you do know, you need to put aside. You are both trying to navigate this new dynamic in your relationship, but you’re skipping past the most important part.’ She smiles softly and tilts her head to make sure I’m listening as she puts down her hairbrush and smooths out the stray hairs in her neat bun. ‘You remember the practice date he took you on?’ I nod. How could I forget? ‘And what you told me about that hotel bar in Atlanta?’ She smirks, and I feel heat blossom on my cheeks. ‘That’s where you need to be, Zo. You and Leo need to get back to basics. Y’all are already sleeping together, and I’m not saying stop that. I wouldn’t do that to you, twinnie.’ She grabs her phone and sits on the end of her bed. ‘You need to put the history away, for now at least. Put it away and get to know him in all the ways you never did. Go on dates, spend whole days in bed, role play a little, laugh with him, Zo, but go slow, take it easy. Treat him like an amazing guy that you just met and have incredible chemistry with — not the friend you’ve had for years.’

‘I don’t know how to do any of that, Bree. Heismy friend. Wedohave history. I can’t just pretend that we don’t.’

‘If you want it to work, you need to. You’re diving into the deep end with both feet and trying to stay above the surface. This is all as new to you as it is to him. He’s trying to give you what you want, but you don’t know what that is because you’ve never done this either.’

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