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oBITCHuary: I hate to admit it, but…I’ve gotten a little attached.
CAL
“I Will Always Love You”—Whitney Houston
“Wakey, wakey! Time to put those hideous leggings to good use.”
I knew that voice.
That voice berated, belittled, and bewitched me at times.
It was the voice of a man who had run with me every morning—until recently, at least.
Of someone who’d kissed me to the point my knees were still weak and my heart still beat irregularly every time I played the moment in my head, and I played that moment in my head at least twice a minute.
Now, my stomach flipped at the memory of being pressed against the snow beneath Row three nights ago, of that kiss that had electrocuted me, before he’d disappeared to London without as much as a goodbye. I’d had to hear through Dylan that he was on another continent.
“Go away,” I groaned.
Semus, beside me, doubled down with a loud, dismissive meow.
“You’re welcome for the free catering,” Row growled beneath my window. He appeared to be in a great mood. Had he murdered someone? Not that I condoned that type of action, but I hoped that Allison was the victim.
I buried my face in my pillow. It was too early, too cold. Plus, I felt under the weather after spreading Dad’s ashes in Moxie Falls a couple days ago.
One promise down, another one to go.
“Dot, I’m counting to ten.”
“Good for you. What a milestone to celebrate just shy of your twenty-eighth birthday.”
“Joke’s on you when I get up there,” he threatened.
“What will you do to me?” I raised my head from the pillow, my curiosity piqued. Please let it be filthy. And naked. And full of bodily fluids.
There was a beat of silence. What, no comeback from Mr. Sarcastic? I stared at my window with my heart in my throat.
“Just come down, will you?” His voice sounded tired and…defeated? Could it be? “Fuck. I’m trying to be there for you, but I’m out of my depth here. The restaurant is closed down for the foreseeable future and I have a crazy stalker running around freely. Quit being difficult and come down already.”
“Oh. Shit. Are you okay?” I bolted upright, brushing my hair with my fingers, running to the window. The mere sight of him soothed my soul. Oh God. I was so freaking screwed.
“Yes. No.” He scrubbed a hand over his face tiredly. “I don’t know.”
“Give me five.” I dragged myself out of bed. Semus stayed inside, squinting at me patronizingly as I collected my hair into a bun and slammed my feet into sneakers. “Yeah, I know. You get to sleep in and lick your own balls. Such a winner, Sem.”
After splashing my face and brushing my teeth, I threw my door open and came face-to-face with Row.
He was wearing a black hoodie and gray sweatpants, his usual attire for our morning runs. As soon as he saw me, his frown melted into something else entirely. I loved that he looked at me in a way he never looked at anyone else. Like I wasn’t just a person but an experience.
“What happened?” I asked.
Row shook his head. “Been freezin’ my ass here waiting for you. Let’s start running and I’ll tell you.”
“Fine, but I’m going to yell at you at some point,” I warned.
“What for?” He glowered.
“Kissing me—we can’t do that again, by the way. And leaving without a word. But first, tell me what happened to Descartes.”
