Page 111 of Come Back to Me

“Touching someone like that may seem like it’s nothing, but it’s not. It’s intimate, and I know you don’t want to admit that to yourself because you don’t want to allow yourself to feel like the way you used to about her again. I understand why. You’re still hurting, but you can’t deny that you feel something for her, even after all these years you spent apart from one another.”

“Damn, you sounded like me there. I remember when I gave you that whole speech about what being in love can feel like.”

“Yeah, that speech changed my life.”

“No, it didn’t. Who’s full of shit now?”

“I’m telling the truth. I would’ve been burying my feelings and not admitting to myself how I truly felt about Dani if it wasn’t for you.”

“Ah, I see what you’re doing.”

“I’m not doing anything,” he says unsuspectingly.

“Can we talk about this more tomorrow? It’s late, and I have to be fully functional when I visit my mom.”

“Mm-hm, sure. Night.” He exaggerates his words before he shuts my door.

If we would’ve continued the conversation and had it turned out like he wanted it to, there would’ve been no sleep in my future. I can’t decipher whatever I may feel for Violet because I don’t want to get my hopes up. I don’t want to have high expectations for something and be disappointed in the end.

Tomorrow is about my mom, and nothing’s going to change that.

As my eyes slowly open, I turn towards the window to my left and notice streaks of bright yellow sunlight peeking through the curtains.

I scrub my face with my hands and raise my body up from my bed, stretching my arms out as high as possible. I let out a deep breath as my eyes take their time to work as they normally should when I’m awake.

Unplugging my phone from its charger, I take a quick glance, and the time reads 9:15 a.m.

A knock on my door causes me to jump a little. My eyes are working now, my pupils letting in the light coming in from the windows in my room. The door creaks as it opens.

“Good morning!” Xander shouts, standing like a superhero in my doorway.

“Somebody must’ve slept well last night.”

“Oh, I sleptverywell. I basically conked out the second I got into my bed. How did you sleep?”

“I’d say I sleptpretty well, too.”

“That’s good. Noah told me you’re going to visit your mom at the shelter with Violet today. How did that come about?”

“How didwhatcome about?”

“Um, how did you get Violet to agree to go with you?”

“There’s this concept called asking a question to someone.”

“Okay, smartass. You can answer my question then.”

“I literally answered it with my sarcastic comment. I asked her if she wanted to join me, and she said yes. It’s been a while since my mom has seen her and vice versa.”

“You’re so cranky in the morning.”

I’ll feel much better once I have food in my system.

“Whatever.” I rip the covers off my body and walk into the bathroom across the hall.

“You know it’s not good to be cranky like that. You’d benefit a lot from meditation.”

“Thank you so much for the tip I didn’t ask for.” I close the bathroom door in Xander’s face and lock it.