Page 85 of Jacob

Me

You do not. Now send me one.

Thirty seconds later, one appears in our conversation. She looks tired, but every inch of her is beautiful. Bruises and all.

Me

Now open the photo of me, full size, lie on your side, prop up your phone, if you can, and before you close your eyes, I’ll be the last thing you see before you fall asleep.

Skye

I’m not doing that.

Me

No?

Skye

No. I’m going to look at your photo before I close my eyes and hold my phone to my heart.

Me

Butterfly, you are killing me with the cuteness.

Skye

And you are killing me with the sweetness. Night, Jay. Or good afternoon.

Me

Night, Butterfly.

Skye

Dream of me.

Me

Always.

30

JACOB

We’ve been texting back and forth for the last three days while Skye’s been staying at her parents’ place.

My father instructed me to take some time off as I’ve been working so hard recently and haven’t had a holiday since the beginning of the year. Add that to the stress of Skye going missing and I’m exhausted. It’s as if the tension I was holding in was released when she was found and streams of stress hormones flowed into my body, making everything feel impossible. My dad noticed and demanded I step back and try to take some time for myself before I broke. He was right. My body was screaming out for me to rest and I’ve slept more over the last few days than I ever have before.

So, after spending a couple of hours on the phone with clients explaining their projects will be handed over to a new account manager, I completely wound down and have spent the past three days doing a combination of some lightweight workouts at the gym and sorting out my spare room that still has at least thirty boxes waiting to be unpacked.

Having been in the house a year already, I never bothered unpacking what I didn’t require.

Now I have a little time on my hands to read again, I thought I’d fill the bookshelves I bought months ago for the spare room and finally display my coveted books.

Almost nightfall, my takeaway pizza box lies on the navy carpeted floor of my guest bedroom.

To get my body in good shape, I’ve been watching everything I’ve eaten over the last year, but tonight I was done with being good. I needed comfort food and calories. Loads of calories, and a beer or two.

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