Page 91 of Composed
“Are you done changing the subject now?” she teases, and I grunt, non-committal. “You’re staying with us. That’s final.”
“Whatever you say,” I appease her.
Though I have zero plans to cancel my hotel reservation. I don’t think any of the guys would appreciate me moving into the sanctity of their home for the unforeseeable future. And I would never want to make them feel put out in their safety bubble.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Hey, I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you tomorrow when I’m on the road?”
“Great. I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye Theo.”
The line clicks dead.
Air whooshes from me, my shoulders sagging.
I’m not sure how this meeting with Theo will go. Hell, if she really does throw a martini in my face, it’ll be well deserved. But for the first time in a long while, there’s something else brimming in the pits of my stomach regarding my old life.
It’s not dread, guilt, pain… there’shopebeneath it all.
The hope that maybe I didn’t destroy everything forever.
Riley and Talia are sitting at the dining room table when I get home.
Italian food litters the mahogany and my stomach rumbles.
I drop my bag at the door, toss my keys onto the counter, and grab a can of Coke zero from the fridge before tugging out a chair and dropping beside Riley.
Snatching a fork, I help myself a large heaping of spaghetti from her bowl, and shove it in my mouth.
“I’m definitely setting reminders on your phone before you leave,” Riley says.
Talia arches a perfectly shaped brow. “Leave? We just got you back.”
I hold a finger up as I swallow. “I’m heading back to London Thursday. Didn’t I tell you that?”
“No.” Talia tilts her head. “How long are you going for?”
Riley shoves her bowl in front of me as I reach for it again.
I twirl my fork in the bolognese. “No idea. Haven’t really figured out an end date yet.”
“What about your work here?” Talia asks.
“I’ve wrapped up everything I can today,” I tell her. “And anything else I can do remotely.”
“What about Jasper’s EP?”
“Already in your inbox.” I push the fork past my lips as relief flickers over her face.
“And my wedding?”
“I’m not missing your wedding, Talia.” I chase the spaghetti down with a sip of icy Coke Zero, before giving her a pointed glance. “You know, there are these things, they’re made out of metal, have wheels, and can get you from A to B in a flash.”
She gives me a look. “Didn’t know you had a private plane at your disposal.”
“Ha,” I deadpan.
“Cole does,” Riley says.
