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We fall asleep together, tangled together, and I wrap my entire body around Emma in order to soothe her to dreamland. It works within an hour, and sleep comes for me shortly after.
I wake the next morning to the scent of eggs and spice and a single text from Finn.
We need to talk. Now.
33
EMMA
Nausea swims in my gut, sending a trickle of sharpness up the back of my throat and catching on my tongue. This constant sickness due to stress is driving me crazy. There were only so many rough mornings I could take in a row before I contemplated some dangerous things.
So, I took action.
Caspian’s words about the unwavering support from him and the others plays a part in kicking me into gear, but with the cops being all but useless, I have to tackle this myself.
If only so I can have one day without feeling like my stomach is against me.
I reached out to my ex, Gary. He’s the only person in my life who slots into this shadowy figure making my life hell. The cops might be pursuing the angle that this is all random, but breaking into my car? Into my home? It’s exactly the kind of shit he’d pull.
Reaching out to him brought back a whole host of uncomfortable, upset feelings. He replied almost instantly and agreed to meet me, so I chose somewhere public and tried not to take his eagerness as a sign that I was on the right track.
Arriving at the cafe in the middle of the city, I scan the tables but don’t spot the familiar tell-tale orange mohawk of my ex. After all these years, seeing him again will be jarring—unless he is the reason my life is crumbling, then maybe it will be relieving. I approach the barista and order a coffee. Then, as I head to a table in the corner, a hand shoots out and catches my wrist.
“Emma?”
I glance down at an unfamiliar face, and I’m in the process of pulling my hand away from this stranger when he looks up at me and something shifts in my mind.
Wait, I know those green eyes and that crooked smile. While those are familiar, the mop of dark hair doesn’t fit the picture forming in my mind.
“It’s me,” says the stranger. “Gary.”
“Gary?” My mouth falls open. He looks so incredibly different from the last time I saw him. The sexy, dangerous bad boy with scrawny muscles and a lopsided smirk is no more. Gary is much more slender now, with well-kept dark brown hair on his head. Gone are his T-shirt and jeans, now he wears a suit and offers me a softer smile.
“I know, it’s been a long time. You look good.”
“You look…” I can’t even think of how to describe him. Sitting slowly across from him, I eye him carefully. “You look so different.”
“You think so?” Gary smoothes one hand down his shirt, straightening his crimson tie. “Never thought I’d end up as a suit, but here we are.”
“A suit?”
“Yeah, y’know, office worker? Cog in the machine? That sort of thing.”
“Oh, right. Of course.” Wow. He’s like a completely different person.
“I’m actually really glad you reached out.” Gary sets both hands flat on the table, then clasps them with a small smile. “I’ve been meaning to do the same, but I’ve been too scared.”
A frown pulls at my brow. “Scared of what?”
“Of facing who I used to be. Emma…” He frowns deeply, then fixes me with sad eyes. “I owe you an incredible apology.”
What? What the hell? Never in all my years of dating Gary did he ever apologize.
“You do?” I ask dumbly.
“Of course I do. The things I did to you? The shit I put you through? It was terrible and inexcusable. I was battling a lot of demons back then and trying to impress all of the wrong people. I was a caricature and a terrible, pathetic human being. What I put you through? I am so, so sorry. I can’t apologize enough.”
Am I dreaming? There’s no way this is real.
