AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After last night’s decision to move on, I called Liam and told him I needed to get trashed. He’s taking his job seriously, flagging down the bartender so she knows that my hand should never be without a drink. The only rule I had was that I was not looking for a hookup.
“That’s not what I was going to say, jackass,” he snaps back.
I stare at him, waiting for his bright idea.
“You need closure.”
“I think not talking to her for six months is enough closure.”
He shakes his head. “Make her tell you it’s over because that screwed-up brain of yours won’t let you get pussy until it knows it’s over.”
“It’s over,” I insist.
“Bullshit. It’s in limbo. If it was over, you’d notice that table of women staring at us all night. Hell, you haven’t even looked at them once. And they’re all hot.”
Zero part of me wants to look over and see who he’s talking about. “The couple of times I’ve tried calling her, it always goes to voice mail. And if she wanted to talk, she would’ve called me back. I don’t know what else to do.”
“Listen, I’m not all about chasing women, but you seem to think this is the one for some weird reason.” I let out a bitter laugh. I thought she was the one. “Take a few days off and go see her. Figure out your shit so you can put this to rest because, for the love of God, I’m speaking for everyone in the office, we’re tired of you moping around the department.”
Damn, he acts like I’ve been bawling my eyes out daily since Kali left. I haven’t. Sure, I might be a bit more on edge, throwing myself into finishing the cabin renovations and looking at her case once a week, but I’m not moping.
But he has a point.
Ever since she left, I haven’t felt like myself. It’s that lingering hope that she’s coming back. He’s right, I need to end things officially. Before I can change my mind, I pull out my phone and hit Call when I find her number.
“I didn’t fucking mean right now,” Liam quips.
I shrug. No time like the present, but she doesn’t pick up. I hang up, frustrated that she’s ghosting me. How the hell am I supposed to cut the tie if she won’t even talk to me?
“I have a friend. He can track anyone down,” he offers, already calling a number. “Hey, Frank. I need a favor.”
CHAPTER 37
Kali
“That was a fun flight,” Ari says with heavy sarcasm as we step into the transfer van headed to the employee hotel. The driver grabs our bags, offering a quick hello.
Screaming for a doctor.
Screaming at people to stop videoing.
Doing chest compressions, not on a dummy, for the first time.
Yeah. Fun night.
I sigh, collapsing into the seat. “I hope the guy is all right,” I murmur. Dealing with someone going into cardiac arrest mid-flight in our first month on the job is scary. No matter how much training we had in emergency situations, nothing prepares you to deal with it firsthand. At least we’re off tomorrow and can head home whenever.
“I need some hard liquor after that,” she says, letting her head fall back and closing her eyes.
Shots. I need shots to drown out that experience. The van pulls up to the hotel shortly after, and we hand the driver a few bucks on our way out.
“What are we thinking for dinner? I’m starving,” Ari asks.
“How about we just hang out in the hotel bar?” I suggest, my voice tinged with exhaustion. “I need to wind down after tonight.” Bonus, we don’t have to go out in the freezing cold.
“Sounds like a plan,” she says, leading the way through the double sliding doors into the brightly lit lobby. “Hold, please. My plans could change for him. Lord, let him be single,” she murmurs as we stroll toward the front desk.
“Really?” I sigh, wrestling with my suitcase, whose stubborn wheel keeps jamming. They sold me a lemon. It’s only a couple months old, and they’ve fixed it once already. I glance up at her. “Geez, Ari, we haven’t even made it past the lobby.”
