Boone: Always.
Chloe: I’ll be home in 20 if you’re available. I have to walk Bear. You still have the code to let yourself in?
Boone: I can’t get away for an hour. I can bring Thai.
Chloe: I will definitely make it worth your while then.
Chloe: You up?
Boone: Unfortunately, but I’m also with seven other people in a shitty smelling conference room.
Chloe: Have fun with that.
Boone: Hey.
Chloe: Park on the street, they are working on the garage.
Boone: My place instead?
Chloe: If you can be quick
Chloe: Been a while.
There are weeks, even months between some of the messages, but the broken conversations and familiarity make it clear not all of their conversations are through text. I scroll back to the most recent messages with a terrible feeling in my stomach because I already know what it says, but I will punish myself and read it again.
Chloe: You still good for tomorrow?
Boone: Rain check.
Chloe: Your loss.
Boone’s reply was sent today. I check the time, and it was when I was asleep and he was working in his office. The fact that he said rain check, leaving the chance to see her again open for what clearly seems like a hookup situation, makes me sick to my stomach.
I hear the door to the bathroom open and jump into action, thumbing away the current screen to get back to my text to Livy. My fingers are shaking, and not just because I’m worried about getting caught. I’m hurt and fighting back tears, which seems insane since I just met this man less than a week ago. Why did he say rain check? Why not no?
Boone strolls past the door with a towel wrapped dangerously low on his waist—the same waist I had my legs wrapped around not long ago. When was the last time she had hers around him?
I hear drawers open and close, and I know I only have a few seconds to pull myself together. Part of me wants to be messy, to let him know I saw the message, but a bigger part of me is afraidto ask questions because I’m not sure how much I will like the answers.
I force myself to reread what I’ve already typed to Liv, then I hastily add details that seemed like too much and not enough at the same time before Chloe’s message popped up.
I don’t look up from the phone when Boone returns to the living room. I don’t even acknowledge him when he sits down next to me. I think about shielding the phone from him, because I’m a little terrified another text is going to come through or that he will somehow know he missed one, but that would really give me away. I hit send after warning Liv not to return to our house, that some of my things had a tracker in them and ultimately so could hers, and promised to call tomorrow to give her all the info I have. I pass the phone back to Boone without even looking in his direction.
“You okay?” he asks, and I curse his observation skills.
“Just tired,” I hedge. I think it helps that my hurt is teetering into anger. Why the hell did he ask for a rain check?
“I have a few more things I should go over, but I’d be happy to tuck you in.” There’s a suggestive note in his voice that would have made me smile earlier, but it has the opposite effect on me now.
“Do you mind if I watch some TV if I go to bed now? I might wake up in the middle of the night since I slept so long already.” I doubt I’m going to sleep well anyway, but he doesn’t need to know that.
“Sure. If you want to relax, you can watch the TV in the room or camp out here.” I can feel him staring at the side of my face, but I pretend not to notice.
“Here’s good.” If I climbed in his bed right now, I might find myself sneaking into his office to suffocate him with a pillow.
“I shouldn’t be too long,” he tells me, still not getting up.
I force myself to look in his direction, though I manage to avoid meeting his eyes. “I’m good. Don’t feel like you need to entertain me.”
