Page 43 of Composed
Yes, things are strained, but it’s more than that.
Things feel…unfinished.
“Every time we speak, it’s like there’s someone else in the room, just watching, waiting for us to crack and talk about the past.”
“And you don’t want to do that?”
Not in this lifetime.“I don’t see what good it will do. We can’t change things, so why bother reliving them.”
She nods, chewing her lip. “So, when do we leave?”
“We?” I blink. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m coming with you.”
My hand halts mid-air as I turn to her. “You are? Why?”
“Because I’m not about to let my best friend go hang out with four random men who hate her alone.”
I snort, resuming my packing. “They’re not completely random, Riles, and I’m sure they don’t hate me.”
“I mean, I would. If you abandoned me like you did them.”
I hiss, a sharp painful breath tearing my lungs at her words.
Then, I nod, because she’s right.
Cole wasn’t the only one I walked away from whenwe broke up.
It was easier to dismiss them all, than to hang around the others and act as if I wasn’t wasting away inside—even if I was the one who ended our relationship.
“Yeah, fair.” I plop on the bed and hug a pillow to my chest. My voice is quiet as I ask, “You’d really come with me?”
“Of course I would. You’re my favourite human in the world. I’m not going to let you do this on your own.”
“You hate London,” I mumble. “And meeting new people.”
“I do, but I love you more,” she says, warming in a way so few others can.
Tears spring to my lashes.
I blink them away as Riley jumps down and heads for the hallway.
“Right.” She claps her hands. “I’m going to pack.”
My door starts to swing shut.
“Hey, Riles,” I shout.
She pokes her head around the doorframe. “Yeah?”
“You’re my favourite human, too.”
She smiles. “I know.”
Rain drums against the windscreen as my car rolls to a stop.
I leave the engine idling and glance at the nondescript building across the road, before tugging my phone from the holster.
