Page 129

Magic Words

Isabelle

My bedroom blinds were drawn, but the powerful desert sun was high in the sky, infiltrating my room with blinding light. I stirred in bed, waking for the fourth or fifth time this morning. But it wouldn’t be morning for much longer; my alarm clock showed 11:47.

I never thought I’dmiss Minka’s slobbery leash wake up ritual. But I’d made a habit out of sleeping in over the past week. I hadn’t been to the gym. I hadn’t posted anything to my OnlyFans at all. I didn’t even care to check my metrics or my messages anymore.

I didn’t care about much ofanythinganymore.

Ever since I broke up with Rust, all I felt was a profound sadness permeating every moment.

I know, I know. It’s normal to feel that way in a breakup—though I didn’t feel anything remotely close to this when Cody and I broke up. Still. All I had to do was give myself time.

At least seven more months,I thought, a sinking dread in my stomach.

With a baby on the way, this breakup was going to be so much worse.

I wrapped myself up in my sheets, pulling them over my eyes to block out the sun, and let the sleepy haze suck me back in.

It wasn’t much longer that I heard a distant noise in the other part of the home: a knock on the door. With their finals finished, April and Farrah were home, their summer vacation having begun. I heard their confusion.

“Who’s that?”

“I dunno, I’m not expecting anyone.”

“Huh. I’ll answer it.”

I heard the front door open, then the low droning of a man’s voice.

“What do you want?”April asked.

I pulled the sheets off my face and listened more closely, but I couldn’t make out his words in reply. A part of me wanted to get my hopes up, because the rhythm of that deep voice sure sounded like Rust’s … but I knew it wasn’t him. It couldn’t be. He’d given up on me, on us—all three of us. Besides, he didn’t even know where I lived.

The door shut. Whoever that guy was, April and Farrah let him in. Then I heard another noise—the tapping of nails on hardwood floor as an excited dog scampered around.

Is that Minka?some part of me wondered. I knew I was only getting my hopes up, though. It was probably just another one of our friends who had a dog.

A few minutes later, there was a quiet knock at my bedroom door.

“Come in,” I said.

The door cracked open and April and Farrah hurried in and shut the door behind them. They each had a Jimmy John’s sandwich in one hand and a juice smoothie in the other.

Ah.That explained it.

“You got delivery?” I asked sleepily.

“So did you,” April said, tossing a wrapped sandwich into bed next to me. She set my smoothie on the nightstand. “Salami, capocollo and provolone.”

“Oh,gabagool, my favorite,” I said. “Thanks, guys. You shouldn’t have.”

“Well, that’s the thing. We didn’t,” April said. “Rust did.”

“Rust?” I gasped.

A moment ago, that was all I thought I wanted. But the reality wasn’t so easy—a conflicted mix of hope and dread filled my heart.

“Yup! He brought usourfaves, too!” Farrah said as she took a bite of her turkey, lettuce and tomato sandwich. “How’d he even know?”