Page 54 of Fly Back to Me
An invisible fist delivers a punch to my gut, and I slow along the sidewalk as too many thoughts stream through my mind. Thoughts that are so gray and muddled, I can’t snatch a clear view.
I don’t think I ever will.
“You’re just as beautiful, if not more,” Lauren argues.
“I have to see,” I sigh through strangled lungs.
I whirl back around to stand at the corner of the brick building. My palm bends over the jagged edge, half my head cautiously poking from it until one eye lands on their backsides.
Envy injects into my veins, my soul sinking just as my eyes do. I catch their interlocked fingers, the vision making me want nothing more than to swat her hand away and replace it with my own.
It’s not fair.
“Liv.”
“Okay, I get it,” I bite out, popping off the wall.
I crash the toe of my sneaker into the brick once, an inch of steam rolling off me as I face Lauren. My lips dip in the corners, brows caving in just like my lungs already have.
“But why does it hurt so bad?” I breathe out.
Lauren flashes a tight-lipped smile as she strolls toward me. “Come on. We’ll take a detour to the grocery store and bring a whole tub of ice cream home.”
I’m convinced trash television is the best cure for a mangled heart. No matter the level of your distraught, the drama always has this unique way of suppressing your own emotional turmoil.
Toxic? Maybe.
Necessary?Hell, yes.
“You know what I was wondering?” I ask, shoveling another spoonful of chocolate ice cream into my mouth. “How does one start the conversation to their significant other and say, ‘Hey, wanna go on a reality show where we potentially hook up with other people? That way, we can see how we truly feel about each other?’”
“They obviously are already in a shitty relationship. I highly doubt they care about the other’s feelings,” Lauren answers before taking a sip of her Pinot Grigio.
I sink back into the cushion of the couch, snuggling my curled legs closer to my side. “Is the fifteen minutes of fame even worth it? I mean, you never seeTemptation Islandcast members making it big in Hollywood or anything.”
“That’s why it’s fifteen minutes,” she says, only to wave me off with her hand. “Oh, shh. Bonfire.”
My eyes light up, moaning while my lips wrap around another scoop of ice cream. “I fucking love this shit,” I mumble.
Our gazes are glued to the TV screen like we’re watching the Holy Grail or something. And if this doesn’t accurately sum up our friendship, I don’t know what does.
But when I dig another taste of my dinner from the plastic tub in my lap, a beam of light raids the corner of my eye. My head swivels to the left, suddenly met with my lit phone screen on the arm of the sofa.
Unknown: I feel the need to apologize about this afternoon.
My entire body hums, recharging at the simple words in the text notification.
It doesn’t automatically mean he’s interested in pursuing me. It certainly doesn’t mean he wants to break up with his girlfriend. But it’s the start ofsomething. A hint of what may come, and I’m not sure if I should completely trust it just yet.
I slowly drag my gaze to Lauren, making sure her attention is still fastened to the TV before retrieving my phone. Then, with a spoonful of ice cream held to my mouth, my free thumb sets up the camera. Allowing my lips to wrap around the small lump of chocolate, I snap a quick picture.
Cade
Olivia: You worry too much. Have some ice cream.
Her thick bang frames her face, plump and shiny lips wrapping around a chocolate bulb of ice cream. And to pour gasoline on the fire, those mint green eyes hook onto mine through thick lashes.
Her beauty isn’t the kind that steals your breath away, but instead, gifts it back to you.
