Page 75 of The Truth About Love

“My mother decorated,” Summer-Raine says.

“Ah.” I nod. “Makes sense.”

“Yeah.”

Silence stretches between us once more, neither of us knowing what to say.

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe agreeing to move in with Summer-Raine and be on suicide watch wasn’t actually the right thing to do. She’d have kicked up a storm, but hiring round the clock care was probably what should have happened.

Because there’s this awkwardness between us that never existed before. We don’t know how to be in each other’s company anymore. And if this is how the next several months are going to go, I can’t imagine Summer-Raine will make any progress.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I answer without checking the name.

“Hey, baby.” Cara’s voice tinkles in my ear. “Did you make it to your cousin’s place okay?”

I glance at Summer-Raine who watches me quizzically.

“Yeah, I made it here fine.”

“You told me you would text me when you got there, but you didn’t.” I imagine her pouting at the other end of the phone.

Lying and breaking promises, what the hell has happened to me?

“Sorry, babe. I completely forgot.”

She harrumphs like a toddler who hasn’t gotten their way.

“When can I see you?” she asks on a whine.

I close my eyes and rest my head on the back of the armchair. My patience is already running thin. “I don’t know. I think I’m gonna be busy for a while.”

I can almost hear her sulking through the phone. “Bleh. You suck.”

“I’ll make it up to you, yeah? But I gotta go. I’m sorry.”

“Whatever. I’ll see you later. Love you, baby.”

“Yeah. Bye babe.”

I cringe as I shut off the phone, keeping my eyes closed for a few more beats before opening them to meet Summer-Raine’s questioning stare.

“Babe?” she asks with her eyebrows raised.

“My girlfriend.”

I don’t miss the way she flinches. It must have been pretty obvious given the phone conversation, but I guess it’s one thing to suspect it and another to have it confirmed.

I don’t know how I’d react if I knew Summer-Raine had a boyfriend. Maybe it makes me a hypocrite, but the thought of another man touching her the way I used to makes my stomach churn in jealousy. But in all the time I’ve kept in touch with Winter, no boyfriend has ever been mentioned. I’m not naïve enough to think that that means there never has been one, but it’s a relief that there hasn’t been anything serious enough to mention.

“Are you seeing anyone?” I ask and grit my teeth while I wait for the answer.

She chews on her lip, contemplating the idea of lying maybe, but then she dips her head and whispers, “No.”

I exhale in relief, not having realised I was even holding my breath.

“So, your girlfriend,” she says with a slight grimace, as if the word tastes sour in her mouth. She’s never been very good at hiding her emotions from me. “Have you been together long?”

I tilt my head to the side, surprised by the topic of conversation. If the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldn’t want to know anything about the man who had taken my place in her life.

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