Page 122 of Fly Back to Me
This whole time, I was fighting any outside force that threatened to demolish our fate, when in the end, I was the greatest hazard.
I struggle to swallow past a thick lump, my throat clogging as I choke out my next words. “I really need you to move.”
Don’t move.
Out of the corner of my eye, Cade’s body remains idled at the door. Every beat of my heart pounds over the next passing second, my belly curdling tighter and tighter.
Until he drops his palm off the wood frame.
And our souls sever.
Chapter 45
Olivia
I taste the tart and sweet blend of my mango margarita, slurping the remnants of the sugar rim. “Whoever said a broken heart can’t be cured never had a margarita and guacamole,” I pipe up.
Lauren’s elbow is set on the wood high-top table, chin in palm when she answers, “Ah, maybe dragging your ass out was worth it.”
My eyes roll as I reach to the basket of chips settled between us. “On a Thursday night. You know, work killed me this week,” I argue, scooping guacamole on the tortilla. “I was fine just being a sloth on the couch.”
I munch on the chip, hints of cilantro and lime slapping my taste buds. Her head tilts, auburn waves dangling to the side as she skims her gaze over me. “Speaking of, did you forget to change your clothes?”
My brows knit as I swallow the bite of food. “What?” I drop my eyes, tugging my long locks to the side to reveal the oversizedgraphic tee under my denim jacket. “I could look worse. Screw you.”
“My pointis,” she emphasizes, “you’re sulking. No guy is worth sulking over.Ever.”
A scoff escapes me as I reach for the stem of my drink. “Please, that is such a crock of shit. Everyone is allowed to cry over someone.” I flip my free palm up, trapping her stare with mine before sipping my margarita.
My head turns to scan the bright yellow and pink walls of Bonita’s, a dusky lighting subtly muting their vibrance for the evening. “You’re as sassy as it gets, Liv. Use that to your advantage,” Lauren suggests.
My eyes widen as I set my drink down, my fingers clearing my long bangs from my eyes. “Well, it seems I may have done that already,” I answer mockingly. “Otherwise, I’d be with Cade right now and not stuffing my face with Mexican food.”
She sighs, holding both palms out. “What do you wish you would’ve done? Swallowed your pride?”
I huff a breath, planting my cheek in my hand as I reach for another chip. “Yes. I’d be much happier right now.” My fingers slap the dipped tortilla in my mouth, only for me to munch on the smashed avocado.
“You’d also be bottling anger up,” Lauren counters. “Until one day, you’d let it all explode. Come on, you know that’s not healthy. You did the right thing.”
I shake my head, my gaze locking on the neon green cactus sign above the bar. “You want to know what’s weird? I wasn’t as upset about his meetup with Jenna as I was about the fact that she gave him the ring. Don’t get me wrong, I’m livid about that too, but I don’t know. I know he’s telling me the truth, and I have no reason to doubt his intentions. But it’s the damn ring that’s pestering me the most.”
Wafts of caramelized onions baptize the air as a sizzlingplate of fajitas passes our table. “Why are you so attached to it, Liv?” Lauren’s voice is laced with sincerity, almost sympathy.
Cade’s left a few voicemails since Saturday.
“Olivia, can you please pick up?”
“Olivia, come on. This is me.”
“This can’t feel right to you. It doesn’t to me. Please, just let me in.”
More than misery, I’m haunted by disappointment. I started this journey to find a man, only for it to crash and burn in an explosion of torn hearts.
Finding out that Cade’s ring was a gift from Jenna was like a sucker punch to the gut. Its meaning is tarnished, just like the discolored stainless steel I wear around my ankle.
After Cade confessed to his encounter with Jenna, it dawned on me that maybe he’s not the person I thought he was. And maybe I have been blinded.
But boy, he was so incredibly perfect.
