I get it.
My fingers freeze over my screen. He gets what?
If you don’t want to go, it’s really fine. I don’t mind going alone.
Why wouldn’t I want to go?
I think we’ll have fun
Ten minutes pass before he responds.
I won’t kiss you again, okay?
I’m really sorry
A weight sinks low in my stomach, but I’m not sure why. Is it the unnecessary apology? The sadness I sense, even through the toneless text? The idea that he’s assuming blame, like we did something wrong? The fact that he just declared, in no uncertain terms, that I’ll never get another kiss like that again?
Stop apologizing. You didn’t do anything wrong.
It was just a kiss.
Maybe for you
My heart jolts with a sudden surge of adrenaline, tingling in the tips of my fingers.
What does that mean?
Never mind.
Good night, Joss.
Before I can reply, the little blue crescent moon pops up.
Asher Foley has notifications silenced.
Argh! He ends the conversation withthat? How rude is that? Leave a girl hanging, why don’t you?
I think back to his weight on top of me, his desire pressing into my leg right before I pushed him off me. I don’t really have room to complain here. We’re both a couple of teases, in vastly different ways.
And maybe I don’t want to know the answer anyway. If we’re ever going to get back to normal, we need to reestablish boundaries.
Boundaries, like walls, are good. They’re safe. They will keep us both sheltered from pain.
Sheltered from each other.
“What about gold?” Yayoi holds up a satiny number with a low, square bodice. The warm track lighting of the department store shimmers over folds of gleaming fabric.
It’s pretty.
Really pretty.
“Is it too much, though?” My hand curls around the whisper of silk.
Yayoi shrugs and sips her Tropical Tango smoothie from Orange Julius. “Didn’t you say you wanted to one-up the bride?”
“I wasn’tserious. It’s still her wedding. I don’t want to be a total bitch. Just, like... half bitch.”
“Okay.” Yayoi hangs up the gold dress and glances at the others around us, all different cuts, colors, fabrics. She takes another long draw on the smoothie, then stares at her cup. “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted. The baby loves this.”
