Page 38 of Fly Back to Me
Jenna throws her hands up, only for them to slap against the denim around her legs. Then she wanders to the center of the office again. “I give up, Cade. You’re hot. You’re cold. You’re hot again.”
“I could say the same about you.”
She grunts lowly, two hands swimming through her hair. “Do you want to work on things or not?”
The inevitable and predictable question.
We’ve been here before, and somehow, neither of us ever learn our lesson. The toxicity of our relationship is crippling, deeply poisoning us from the inside out. It’s like a pendulum that swings back and forth between stable and unstable. We continue to push the weight between us instead of devising a mutual effort to calm the motion.
But the truth is, I love this girl with my whole heart.
We’ve created a life together for the past three years that I just can’t let go of.
Not yet.
Not until there’s a better reason.
“Only if this is the last time we do this,” I finally answer.
“Agreed.”
I snuggle my arms around her, my lips lingering in the hair on top of her head as she snakes her arms up my back.
For now, the pendulum is centered.
Chapter 16
Olivia
I guess my first impression wasn’t as memorable as I thought. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been preoccupied with my phone, silently willing it to show me an unknown number on the home screen. But my quiet wishes continue to remain unanswered—the most I’ve heard from Cade being mere recaps of our conversation in his brewery.
I was outgoing, flirty, witty, and dressed for the part. What could I have done differently?
I’m staring daggers at my computer screen at work, conscious to create the illusion that I’m recording and categorizing expenses. But even that’s a generous description.
My elbow leans on the desk, the tip of my thumb lodged between my teeth as I consider my next move with Cade. It’s Friday now—almost a week since I last spoke to him—so I’d say that’s a decent intermission period.
Lauren truly thinks I’ve gone off the deep end, and maybeshe’s right. Maybe I have. But even so, I don’t care or bat an eyelash at the revelation. This desire to get to know Cade is too powerful to terminate. Inevitable. Like my mind has been possessed with a new purpose, and I’m looking at my life through a fresh lens.
My mind is steadily losing the ability to filter irrational thought, and my body moves in sync with the madness. As if it’s just along for the ride.
Suddenly, my hand reaches for my phone next to the keyboard.
Me: What are my chances of bumping into him at The Grind tomorrow?
Lauren: Oh, yes, let me just pull Cade’s social calendar out of my ass. How the fuck would I know?
Me: I’ll take those odds.
Lauren: You’re lucky you’re cute.
Me: Be prepared for pjs, wine, and venting sessions tonight on our couch ;)
Lauren: I was born ready.
I roll my phone over on my desk, snapping myself back to reality. My eyes continue to linger over the bright screen in front of me, the images blending as my mind travels elsewhere for the rest of the workday.
The light breeze has me tugging my open shacket across my chest. My Chelsea boots pause on the sidewalk, the white Harley under the lamppost robbing all my concentration. I consider walking back the way I came, but the dangling white feather reminds me of all the reasons I’m here.
