Page 57 of Frozen Hearts
“You do that,” I snap, irritated. “At least if you’re with him, you aren’t here bothering me.”
Unwilling to listen to her tear me down anymore or discuss exactly how good herchicken soupis, I move past her, shoving my shoulder into hers and smiling as she stumbles into the table.
“Hey!”
I ignore the entitled brat as I walk away, doing my best to pick out the thorns left behind by her sharp barbs.
I know there’s no truth behind what she said, but that doesn’t stop her words from seeping into my brain, unlocking my insecurities and sending them surging to the forefront.
Is that why Logan has been hiding all week? Because he’s regretting spending time with me? What if someone said something to him and made him realize he shouldn’t be hanging out with me? Has his attention been out of pity?
The questions cycle round and round in a vicious circle, slicing deeper with each rotation until my heart is bleeding freely and the walk to my apartment is a blur.
Honestly, this is a good thing, I try to tell myself. It’s a necessary reminder not to lower my guard around Logan. He’s excellent at making me feel as though I matter. I thought we were friends. Hell, after last week, I thought we were more than friends. However, even if everything Whitney says is bullshit, his silence only proves that this relationship is nothing more than a simple transaction to him. One that leans heavily in his favor.
Shoving my disappointment in the hockey player aside, I stomp into my apartment. Thankfully, Ava and Isabella are due any minute for dinner tonight, which will distract me from thinking about Logan for a few hours.
I’ve barely had time to quickly tidy the apartment when there is a knock at the door.
“Riley!” Isabella cries, rushing into my apartment. “Sleepover!”
I sweep her into my arms, giving her a hug.
“No, baby. Not a sleepover,” Ava clarifies, rolling her eyes at me as she follows Isabella inside. “Only dinner.”
Isabella grins mischievously, and it instantly brightens my mood.God, I really needed this.
I wink conspiratorially at her before setting her back down on her feet. “I have Frozen set up on my laptop if you wanna watch it?”
Her eyes widen and she nods her head vigorously. I point to where I left my laptop sitting on the coffee table, and she grabs her blankie from her mom before getting cozy on my small sofa.
“Sorry about that,” Ava says, setting a casserole dish on the counter. “She got it into her head that it was a sleepover, and no matter how many times I tried to tell her otherwise, she wouldn’t listen.”
“It’s okay,” I insist, secretly loving the fact Isabella wants to have a sleepover in my apartment. “She can absolutely spend the night.”
“I don’t want to put you out,” Ava begins instantly.
“You wouldn’t be,” I admit, glancing over to where Isabella is curled up on her side on the sofa, head resting on a cushion and her hand wrapped around her blanket, thumb in her mouth as she stares unblinkingly at the laptop screen. “Honestly, I’d love to have her and could do with the distraction.”
“Uh-oh, bad week?” Ava asks while I lift the casserole and put it in the oven to heat before grabbing a bottle of wine and two glasses. The two of us get comfy at my small, rickety kitchen table before I answer.
With my full glass in hand, I groan. “C-R-A-P-P-Y,” I spell out, since young ears are always listening, even if you think they aren’t.
“What does that spell?” Isabella asks, making us both laugh.See!Always listening, even though her focus didn’t once shift from the screen.
“Watch your movie, and let the grown-ups talk. Otherwise, there will be no sleepover,” Ava warns her daughter.
Isabella gasps before slamming her lips shut and covering them with her hands.
It takes everything in me not to laugh.
Ava points at the laptop and Isabella goes back to watching the movie before Ava asks me. “Why? What happened?”
I shake my head. “Nothing, really. I, uh, went on this date with a guy last week. We’ve been hanging out a lot recently. I was tutoring him, but we both seemed to develop feelings and anyway, we went on a date last week. And I thought everything went great, but I haven’t heard from him all week.”
Ava looks at me with sympathy. “I’m sorry. That sucks. I know it doesn’t make you feel better, but it’s his loss if he’s decided to ghost you.”
“Yeah, I know,” I sigh. “I just thought he was different.”
