Page 52 of Sweet Hate
Raking my hand through my hair does nothing to lessen the tension flooding through me. I could kick myself.
I knew it was bound to come up. If she had been the one to disappear on me, wouldn’t I demand to know why?
Swiping over to my photos, I trace the outline of hersmiling face in the cotton candy one I set as her contact picture. Seeing her beautiful face appear every time she messaged me last night gave me the biggest buzz. For the first time in forever, I felt like me again. I felt happy.Whole.
Now, I’ve essentially ghosted her again. I doubt she’ll be quick to forgive that a second time.
I rub absently, trying to ease the burn that settles in my chest. Indigestion—that’s what it is.
Wrong.
Sighing, I toss my phone on the counter and jam angrily at the button again.
“Jesus, Verona, what did Caffeine Cathy ever do to you?”
I stare blankly at Beckett’s wide grin, his green eyes dancing with mischief. I don’t have the capacity to deal with his antics this morning.
“Caffeine Cathy?”
He lovingly strokes the coffee machine currently withholding the one thing I need to hold my shit together.
“This is Caffeine Cathy. She’s here, day in, day out, dealing with our stupid asses pushing her buttons, and yet she never fails to deliver. It didn’t feel right to leave her nameless.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“That’s rich coming from the guy standing here hammering the coffee machine that’s switched off at the socket.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck. Did you get any sleep?”
He calmly reaches over and presses the switch on the wall, and I finally hear the sweet sound of the machine churning to life.
Leaning his back against the counter and crossing his arms, his full focus on me while I wait on my coffee. I mirror his stance and glare at him.
“No.”
His eyes move to my abandoned phone on the counter as he lowers his voice.
“Because you spent the rest of the night arguing with yourself about contacting her? Or were you jerking off over her photos instead?”
“Fuck you, Fox. Don’t talk about her like that.”
“Jesus Verona, chill! I’m joking. Well, half joking. I mean, you were staring at her photo in the office last night, remember? Not to mention you were also doing it a second ago, but I’m a gentleman, so I won’t point that out…much.”
“Yeah, smartass. Just shut the hell up. I don’t want the whole firehouse knowing my business.”
“Fine. But did you text her?”
“Yeah, I did, and then I fucked it all up again. Thanks for that.”
“What the hell did I do?”
“Texting her was your stupid idea. I believe your exact words wereeven you can’t screw that up. Turns out I can.”
“I believe Dr. Foxy added the word ‘surely’. To account for such eventualities as you not engaging your dick for brains before you talk.”
“Why are you referring to yourself in the third person? It doesn’t make the nickname any less ridiculous.”
