Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 85484 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85484 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“That’s a mature way to look at it.”
She slurps her wine again. “Lesson learned. If a relationship has lasting potential, I’m not rushing into it. There’s time. It’s forever, right?”
My stomach tightens. “Right.”
I force out the negative self-talk threatening to shove its way into my brain.
No, I’m not doing this. Stop.
“I can’t imagine if I would’ve bought all the way in. Can you imagine how tricky this would be if I had dove in headfirst?” She shivers. “It would’ve been a nightmare. And for what? For it to fall apart? Slow and easy, Pip. That’s the name of the game from here on out.”
“We’ve done this for a week now. Maybe. But that’s not really true, Pippa. Doesn’t it feel like we’ve always done this—we just didn’t know it? Like we were taking the long route to get here?”
My stomach curls, and I set my glass down. My face is hot from the wine.
“Okay, what do you have to tell me?” she asks. “How was the trip? How was Jess?”
She wiggles her eyebrows.
Suddenly, I don’t know where to begin. I don’t really want to start.
I’m so thrown off by what Kerissa has said even though I know it doesn’t directly apply to me. Still, my pulse is racing, and I need to be calm and excited when I tell her. Otherwise, she’ll start asking questions that I might not have the answers for tonight.
“It was great, and he was great.” He is great. “I’m tired of talking about it, though. I’ve had everyone asking me about it today, and I just want to chill and watch trash television with my best friend.”
She smiles at me. “Let’s do it.”
I flip on the television, and we pick a show. Kerissa becomes invested in the dish the chef is making from the get-go. But me?
I have too much to think about.
28
JESS
I tuck the small box I picked up from Brinkmann’s on my lunch break into my pocket and jog up the walkway. There was a slight delay as I made sure everything was out of my truck before I came over. I want to ensure we can get as much of her stuff on this trip as she wants.
My knuckle raps on the door.
She pulls it open like she was waiting for me. My girl.
I wrap my arms around her and hold her as I close the door behind me. She nestles against me.
“How was your day?” I ask her.
She pulls away, grinning. “You have to ask? We texted all day.”
“It’s the polite thing to do.”
She rolls her eyes, still smiling, and leads me into the apartment. Empty cardboard boxes are stacked next to the television. A box sits beneath her little bookcase with half of the books gone. I spy another box in the kitchen with items all around it on the floor.
“I like the look of this,” I say.
“I thought you would.” She heads into the kitchen. “Are you wanting to start moving stuff tonight?”
“We might as well, right? At least get some of it and then we can come over tomorrow with Maddox’s truck and get more.”
She takes a deep breath and looks at the floor.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up. What’s wrong?
“I didn’t have time today to get with my landlord,” she says. “So I’m not sure what’s going to happen with that. It might be a good idea not to move everything just in case.”
“Why would that matter?”
She picks up a mint green colander. “If I’m paying for an apartment, I might as well get some use out of it.”
My brows pull together as I try to make sense of this.
“Until I get out of my lease, I could just stay at your house sometimes,” she says, lifting her gaze to mine. “And you could stay here too.”
“Pip …”
She places the colander on the table—not in the box.
“What’s going on?” I ask. “What am I missing?”
“Nothing is going on. Everything is great.” She smiles at me, but something is slightly amiss. “I still love you and want to live with you. But maybe it wouldn’t hurt us to take things a little slower. I mean, what does it matter if I officially live with you now or six months from now?”
“Six months?” I ask, my eyes popping out of my head. “What the hell happened today? I dropped you off yesterday, and things were one way. They seemed fine today. And I come here now, and it’s like you’re … six months?”
“That’s the length of my lease. And it’s not that long, really.”
My head is ready to explode. “I’ve waited for you for fifteen years and just got you. Six months feels like a punishment.”
“Jess, no. It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like?”
I cross my arms over my chest as my heart threatens to pound its way out of it. I can’t believe this is happening.