Page 24 of Addicted to You
He nodded. “I gotcha.”
The blonde’s smile widened as I approached.
“Hey,” I said, leaning closer to whisper in her ear. “You want to get out of here?”
She nodded without hesitation. “Lead the way.”
Back on the bus, things played out the way they usually did. We both got off, and then she left. The smell of her perfume on my pillow was the only evidence someone had been with me.
I tucked my hands behind my head and stared at the ceiling of my bunk. The rush I’d felt earlier during the concert and the thrill of the hook up were quickly fading, and the emptiness that followed after every party was starting to seep in.
I rubbed a hand over my face, my thoughts drifting to the small bag of coke I had stashed in my duffel under my bed. It wasn’t as though Ineededit. At least, I didn’t think I did, but it was hard to ignore the temptation.
With a sigh, I rolled onto my side. As much as I loved my life, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ever feel satisfied or if I would always be chasing that next high in whatever form it came.
10
Cash
Two WeeksLater
It had been a long day,and I was looking forward to getting some sleep when I climbed into bed at my client’s apartment. I grabbed my phone to video call Britt. It rang a few times before her face appeared on the screen. She was decked out in her blue scrubs with her dark hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. The sight of her made my chest ache. In a week, I would finish my current assignment, and we’d finally get some time together again.
“Hey, stranger,” she said over a yawn. “How’s it going?”
“Not bad.” I relaxed into the pillow behind me. “Just winding down for the night. Thought I’d check in with my favorite person.”
A smile lit up her face. “You’re so sweet.”
“How busy are you tonight?”
Some commotion out of frame distracted Britt, and she glanced off to the side before returning her attention to me. “Well, you broke thecardinal rule and said the “B” word.” She laughed. “Any time someone asks if we’re busy or complains about how quiet it is, shit hits the fan.”
“Sorry about that. Maybe it won’t pop off until after you’re done with your shift.”
“Hope you’re right. I’ve got plans with some friends after work tonight, and I don’t want to bail on them.”
“That’s good. You deserve a chance to unwind.” Something inside me wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of her going out while I was in someone else’s apartment, miles away.
She frowned. “You don’t look that happy about it.”
“I’m just jealous,” I admitted. “I miss you. It feels like we’ve barely seen each other since our trip to Toronto.”
She nodded. “I miss you too. Things will settle down eventually. It’s just been a crazy couple of months.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, though I wasn’t entirely sure I believed it. It seemed as though she was even busier now than she had been in her residency, or maybe it was more noticeable since we lived together.
She looked at the clock on the wall behind her. “I need to go, but we’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay.” I forced a smile. “Have fun tonight.”
“I will, but I’ll be thinking of you the whole time.” She winked, and the screen went dark a second later.
I stared at my phone for a moment before setting it aside. Moving to Boston had felt like the right thing to do, and I still believed it had been. But I never expected things to be so hard when our jobs kept us apart.
It feltgood to be home.
After weeks of living in someone else’s space, walking through the door of my apartment had me letting out a sigh of relief. I dropped off the bags of takeout I’d picked up and other supplies I’d bought on the way home in the kitchen, then dragged my suitcase to the bedroom.
