Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
I thanked the door attendant as I walked into my building and waved to the woman at the front desk. It was that kind of building. Expensive as fuck, but thankfully, Madam Albert pulled some strings and got me my spot as a principal dancer, which meant I made enough money to pay for the luxury of security. Once I got to my apartment, I opened it, switched the lights on while I was still in the hall, looked around quickly before stepping inside, and shut the door and locked it behind me. For a moment, I stood there, back against the door, listening for sounds. My bedroom and bathroom were the only places someone could hide, and I could see both from where I stood.
I grabbed the can of pepper spray in my hand and checked the bathroom thoroughly first before moving onto my bedroom. Once I knew I was safe, I let myself breathe. I rolled my neck as I walked over to the kitchen, grabbed my container of water, and headed to the balcony. I liked stepping out and listening to the buzz of the city one last time before I shut it all out. When Santi came over the first time, he’d laughed and said the balcony was smaller than the bathtub. He wasn’t wrong, but I still loved it. Expensive as the rent may be, being that it was in Chelsea, it was still a one-bedroom apartment on the fifth floor of a thirty-five-story building. I was living it up, but I wasn’t living it up. I liked to remind my brother that one of us lived in a dorm. After having leftover sushi from last night’s dinner, I showered and went back to the kitchen to have some fruit. Even the fruit container reminded me of him.
The most annoying thing about this situation may just be that I’d been the one who wanted to break it off with him because I wasn’t sure I could handle this life. What happened at my dad’s should have solidified that sentiment, but instead, it did the opposite. Instead, it made me remember how things had been before, made me realize how fragile life was, and how fast it passed us by. If I was going to die anyway, I might as well live while I was here. It was that thought that pushed me to call Dominic. I’d called once before, and he never answered. To my surprise, he did this time. Wherever he was, it was loud, and I wondered why he’d answered the phone at all.
“Rosie?”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “You haven’t called.”
“Is everything okay?” He was shouting over loud music. Was he at a club? Seriously? Before I could even ask him that question, I heard a woman ask him if he needed anything else. The way she asked him that, all sugary, near his ear, near mine, made my heart sink into my stomach.
“Not as well as it’s going for you apparently,” I said. “I guess moving on is easy for you.”
“What?”
“Are you seriously at a club right now?” I asked. My ears were hot, but my chest burned hotter.
“It’s not like that,” he said, and I decided no amount of explaining would make me any less upset. I hung up the phone.
For the millionth time, I cried.
Dominic: it’s not like that
Me: You don’t call, you don’t text, you don’t visit, and then you answer the phone while you’re out?
Dominic: it’s not like that
Me: you know what? I don’t care. Have fun. Go fuck the entire universe if that’s what you want to do. I’ll do the same. Goodnight.
No new texts came from him, and I pressed the side button of my phone before going back to angrily eating my bowl of fruit. It wasn’t like he didn’t know my every waking move. I was sure his guys, who were watching me twenty-four-seven, reported back everything I did and everyone I spoke to. Thinking about that made me even angrier.
When my phone started buzzing, I froze for a solid minute, heart racing as I picked it up. I’d expected Dominic’s name, but Veronica’s was the one that was flashing on my screen.
“Hey,” she said softly. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. You?”
“Great.” She paused. “Listen, I know you said you’d call me when you were ready, and weren’t sure whether or not you wanted to keep your job with Oui, but I was wondering if we could talk?”
I shut my eyes. I felt awful leaving Billie high and dry, but I’d told myself it was just a job with no attachment, and anyone could pretend to decipher a painting with her. Maybe she’d find someone who could actually tell the difference between a Monet and a Manet. I was pretty sure I never would. It wasn’t like I didn’t love the extra money, but I wasn’t sure if I could work for a company Dominic owned. It was too weird.