Page 48 of The Ex Project
“So, I’ll see you in a couple days?” he asks when he looks back up. He’s supposed to come by and finish the grout on the tile before my new oven gets delivered.
“Yeah, sounds good.”
And after today, I can’t help but notice that it does. Rivals or not, spending time with Hudson again sounds more than good.
CHAPTER 21
WREN
“So, was the date awful?”Poppy’s voice fills my ear through my phone speaker. I promised I’d fill her in on how it went as soon as I got home the other night, but I didn’t know what to make of it after Hudson dropped me off.
“No, not at all,” I say, the surprise evident in my tone. “It was … nice. I don’t know how to explain it. You know those people you can go for years without seeing, and then as soon as you’re together, it’s like you pick up right where you left off?”
“Uh huh.”
“That’s what this was like. It was easy, it was normal, I felt comfortable around him.” It was strange, feeling my anger and resentment dissipate. It felt nice, like I could let go of what’s been weighing me down lately.
“Did you talk about it?” Poppy asks, and she doesn’t have to say was ‘it’ is.
“We didn’t discuss our breakup, no,” I say. I thought he was going to bring it up—during our conversation at thegym the other day, he made it sound like he wanted to explain—but he didn’t. And I was too scared.
“Aren’t you still angry? Don’t you think it would feel good to have some answers? Some closure?” I hear Poppy steaming milk in the background of our phone call. She’s working at the café this morning.
“Yeah, I am, I guess. You’re right. Closure would be good.” I lean my head back on the lawn chair and close my eyes in the morning sun. The patio has quickly become my favourite place to sit. It’s so peaceful, so calm. “I want to ask him about it, but I have a lot to deal with right now, and I don’t have the mental capacity to dredge up all that old stuff. There’s still the vote to contend with, and then I’ll eventually have to go back to the city anyways … It’s not worth getting into it all again.”
“Still, you’ll feel better about leaving if you can bury the hatchet. Clear the air. Then you can stop thinking about him and know that there’s no hard feelings.”
Poppy is probably right. Still, there’s something holding me back. Asking Hudson about our breakup feels like choosing between the red pill and the blue pill, and once I make that choice, there’s no going back. I’ll uncover a truth that will make everything more complicated.
I haven’t allowed myself to consider Hudson from any other vantage point than making him my enemy. It’s easier that way, not having to confront my true feelings for him.
But that kiss.
Oh my God, that kiss.
The way his lips closed around mine, the way they partedmy mouth and found entrance. The way my entire body melted into the safety of him.
Kissing Hudson made me forget the way he broke my heart.
Kissing Hudson made me want to do it again.
I realize I’ve been quiet on the other end of the phone for too long when two tones beep in my ear. I pull the phone away and see an incoming call.
“Sorry, Pops, I’m getting another call. Let’s hang out this weekend?”
“Okay, sounds good.”
I quickly say goodbye to Poppy and click to answer the call from my parents. I haven’t heard from them since they left on their trip. Based on the itinerary they left on the fridge, they should be at their final stop in Prince Edward Island by now, and about to turn around to make the drive home.
“Hi, Mom!” I answer. A jumble of voices crackles through the speaker as my mom and dad both say hello at the same time. They also still haven’t learned they don’t have to yell at the phone when they’re on speaker, so I yank my cell away from my ear while they figure out who wants to speak.
“Hi, honey,” my mom says, finally. “How are things at home?”
“Fine,” I say, the fewer details the better when it comes to my parents. They’ll always find something they can worry over, something they can twist to make it sound worse than it is. “How’s the East Coast?” I ask, wanting to shift the attention away from myself.
“Great. The drive was gorgeous. Your father has eaten hisweight in lobster rolls already.” My mom gets cut off by my dad butting into the conversation now.
“What was this about a commotion at the house the other night? Dawn called me to tell me there was a firetruck outside. Are you sure everything is fine? Because I can call Claire and send her down there to help you out.” I grit my teeth together. Fucking Dawn. I saw her out on her lawn being a nosey looky-loo, standing there in her bathrobe with curlers in her hair. I should have known she’d rat me out to Dad. The whole town is full of busybodies.
