AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Casual, highly addictive, but nothing more.
…Aside from possiblylethal.
I stare down at my phone, my fingers hovering over the screen, tempted to text him asking what he’s doing tonight. Or, like,now.
I know I shouldn’t—I’m the one who walked away—but the urge is maddening. A tight knot of frustration and longing twists inside me, pulling at my resolve.
No. If Mal wants it, he can make the first move. Iwon’tchase him.I can’t.
With a frustrated sigh, I toss the phone onto the couch beside me. The room is quiet, the silence pressing in around me.
Kir and Isaak are back in New York, but I’ve stayed in Kyoto longer than I planned. I keep telling myself it’s for Annika. But deep down, I knowit’s because of him.
Because although Annika and Kenzo are still around, there’s a ton of lovey-dovey shit radiating from them. With my own emotions in such a tangled mess of confusion and darkness, it’s a weird vibe to be around. So I’ve been avoiding them.
I lean back against the couch, staring at the ceiling with the strange sense of melancholy that’s been following me around for days settling heavily in my chest.
My phone lights up on the couch next to me, pulling my attention to the text that just popped up.
Cain
Hi Freya! It’s Cain. We met at that ramen place in New York. I borrowed your phone charger.
I grin widely as I type a reply.
Me
OMG, of course I remember you! Hi!
Cain
Hi!!! Sorry, I have no idea what time it is in NYC. I hope I’m not waking you.
Me
Lol, I keep weird hours. Also, I’m not in New York right now. How’s it going?
Cain
Good! But I have this encryption problem I can’t crack. Then I thought of you and thought…why not ask?
Cain
Up for a challenge? I mean only if you have the time. I’m totally hitting my head against this one.
Me
Sure! Feel free to send it over and I’ll take a look.
Cain
OMG, you’re the best!!
I grin, reaching for my laptop. Cain’s email arrives instantly, with the encryption data and algorithm attached. I go into sleuth mode, booting up the code and giving it a quick look to see if anything jumps out.
Cain
Seriously, thank you. I’m not technically supposed to be sharing this, BTW, so shh. But I’m close to the deadline for this job and I’m stumped.
