If Anna had lived, how different would our dynamic have been with three siblings and not two? Would Drew be as thoughtlessly reckless? Would I have been so quiet and reserved? Would she have been the gel that bound us together? That soothed the rough edges?
What would she have thought about my time with Brooks?I stretched myself emotionally and physically while we were away, but I also pushed myself to be firmer and bolder with Drew, too.
I’m proud of myself.
And I think Anna would be proud.
Whimsy List: Updated
Have a one-night stand.
ORGASM! (with a man)
Wear a bold lipstick.
Buy more lingerie (and wear it often).
Stop being sweet.
Learn to flirt.
Take a self-defense class.
Get a tattoo.
Sleep in the dark without being scared.
Cut my hair.
Learn to be okay if others are disappointed (even if it’s in me).
Eat alone in public.
Do something spontaneous.
Make Anna proud.
Learn how to give a blow job.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
Brooks
“What the hell is that sound?” Achilles asks, only able to hear, not see, the scene in my kitchen.
“That’s Otis.”
He stops screaming at the sound of his name.Thank God.
“I went out of town for a few days,” I say, “and my friend, Jasper, watched him. And Jasper—damn it.”
Otis sits on his ass in front of the fridge like a fluffy orange human and shrieks bloody murder. If I didn’t know better, I would be certain someone was being offed in this house.
“You’ll lose your voice before I open that door and give you food,” I mutter to him as I walk by so I can actually have a conversation. Once I’m in the hallway, I sigh. “Sorry, Achilles.”
“That’s all right. I’m invested. Whatwasthat?”
