Page 95 of Hot Summer Nights

“About Aspen?” He guesses.

“Yeah. I think that we should pay for the medical bills.”

“Right, we already agreed to do that.”

“And then,” I continue, “we should try to move on.”

“What?!? Roman, c’mon! We both know how rare it is to find the one, the true one. Aspen is it. We both know that. No one will be able to replace her.” He says.

“I know, but if she doesn’t want us then we need to at least try. Maybe we can find someone else. Move on and get over her. We can’t force her to love us.” I try again.

He thinks about it for a second before he slowly nods his head.

“I don’t like it but I guess it’s worth a shot. You’re right, we can’t make her choose us, make her love us.”

We sit in silence for a minute and I know that we’re both thinking that this isn’t going to work. We’ve dated and were with women before and none of them were ever it for us. We never had anything even close to the connection we have with Aspen with any of them.

“Let’s go out tonight. Who knows? Maybe we’ll meet the One… well, another one.” He says with a sad smile.

I can tell that neither of us really feel up to going out but we have to try something.

“Alright. I’ll go get ready.” I say as I head for the door.

“Meet you downstairs in twenty.” Flynn calls after me.

I slide on a pair of dark wash jeans and a white button-up shirt. I roll the sleeves up past my elbows and add a pair of black boots. I brush my teeth and run my fingers through my hair before I head downstairs to meet Flynn.

“I texted Jack. He’s waiting out front.” He says as soon as I walk downstairs.

I nod as we head outside but I can tell already that this isn’t going to work.

* * *

It didn’t work.

Flynn and I trudge into the house and he slams the door shut behind us.

“Well, that sucked.” He says bitterly.

I don’t blame him. That was a shitshow. It was the same old, same old, like every other time we go out. As soon as people recognize us or see that we’re in the VIP section and have money, that’s all they care about. We spent the night fighting off gold diggers and empty airheads who only care about the size of your bank account and not who you are as a person.

As the night dragged on, Flynn and I became more and more miserable. Spending our nights alone at home dreaming about Aspen would always be better and preferable to wasting our time in some club or bar surrounded by people who only wanted us for our money or status.

We both walk upstairs and head for our rooms.

“We need Aspen.” Flynn says and I just nod my head in agreement before I collapse on my bed.

SEVEN

Aspen

I clockout and yell goodbye to Bianca over my shoulder as I race out of the coffee shop and head for home. Adeline’s doctor appointment is in an hour and I know that I’m going to be late if I don’t hurry. I run the four blocks back to our apartment and take the stairs two at a time.

Adeline called in sick to work again today and I’m just hoping that she’s up and dressed so that I can grab her and we can go. When I had gotten home late last night from the cleaning job, she was still curled up on the mattress. She hadn’t touched the food that I had left for her and it didn’t look like she had left so I know she didn’t eat. I wonder if she ever even woke up.

That’s my nightmare. That I’m going to come home and she’s going to be laying on our mattress. I’ll try to wake her but she won’t wake up. She’ll be gone and I’ll be all alone. Every time I come home and she’s asleep on the mattress, I’m afraid to touch her, to check on her.

Luckily, when I open the door today, she’s up and dressed. She’s sitting on the mattress pulling on her shoes when I burst in.

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