Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 79932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Brecken: It's really not.
I cringed. I was doing that thing where I hovered too much, a latent instinct that was really fucking hard to quell.
I knew Brecken wasn't an eight-year-old girl cowering in the corner because our father was on a bender. But after years of protecting her, of sacrificing everything so I could get her out of that horrible environment and into a space she loved, it was hard to switch to the reality of the present—where my baby sister was now a grown woman, living her best life.
Brecken: I'm about to meet up with some friends in the cafeteria. Love you.
Me: Be safe. Love you.
I stared at my screen a little longer in case Brecken texted again, but she didn't, so I put my phone in my bag just as the cab was pulling up to the restaurant where we were meeting our friends.
“Everything all good with Brec?” Jesse asked as he helped me out of the cab.
“Yep,” I said as we headed to the entrance. “She thinks I worry too much, but that’s nothing new.”
Jesse smirked and held the door open for me. “Oh, well, she's spot-on there,” he said as we headed inside.
I rolled my eyes. “I do not,” I argued.
“You absolutely do,” Jesse said, scanning the crowded restaurant for our friends. “You're the one who gives me a half-hour lecture if I don't drink enough water, yet you rarely ever worry about yourself.”
“Hydration is important.”
“Yeah, and iced coffee doesn't count, Aspen,” he playfully chided, spotting our friends in the back near the bar area.
I gaped at his back as he led the way to our friends, shaking my head at his blasphemy.
Sophia and Maple hopped up from the high-top table, instantly swarming us with hugs. I squeezed each of them before taking the seat across from them.
“It’s been forever!” Maple said, grinning at me. Her long blonde hair was pulled half back in a cool intricate braid that I'd never be able to manage. She was always rocking the latest styles, showing off her skills as a hair stylist. She owned her own boutique salon, and it was rapidly growing in popularity thanks to a few influencers posting about her.
“It's only been a month,” I said, shaking my head.
“Too long,” Sophia said, planting me with a serious look. Her wild, dark curls framed her face, matching her no-bullshit attitude.
I blew out of breath. “I know, I know. I’ve been busy.”
“You know we get it,” Maple said. “I've just missed you guys.”
“Same,” Sophia said.
“You have to be like me,” Jesse said. “Venture out to Brooklyn for your coffee. Then she has to spend time with you.” He lovingly nudged me, and I rolled my eyes.
“Act like I'm the only one who works.” I motioned across the table to Maple. “This one is running her own salon. It's not like that comes with soft hours.” I glanced at Sophia. “And neither does managing one of the largest hotels in Manhattan.”
Sophia and Maple gave over-exaggerated proud looks before bursting into laughter.
“I know you're not suggesting that just because I have an unconventional work schedule that I have soft hours,” Jesse said in a perfectly snarky tone.
I gasped in faux shock, laying my palm over the center of my chest. “I would never.”
We all laughed again just as the server came to our table and we placed our drink orders.
After he left to put in the order, our little table descended into the delightful chaos that came with catching up with friends. As each second ticked on, my heart filled with a much-needed warmth and energy I hadn't realized I'd been missing.
There was something to be said about having a group of friends that didn't need constant maintaining in order to stay healthy. Maple and Sofia knew my schedule and respected it. They knew that sometimes I worked double shifts, barely making it home with my eyes open before crashing into bed. Hour-long phone conversations for check-ins or daily texts in the group chat were often missed by me, but they never faulted me for it, and I loved them all the more because of it.
And whenever we did catch up like this, it was like no time had passed at all. It’d taken me years to believe it was real, because I’d been so used to people bailing the minute they found out I had toxic family history and a one-track-goal when it came to survival.
So many friendships before I met Sophia, Maple, and Jesse had been superficial when I thought they'd been genuine.
Not this group, though. They knew me, knew my history, knew my trauma, and still loved me for me. It was something that I never took for granted even if I couldn't tell them every day how much I appreciated it.
“Oh, come on,” Jesse said, his tone pleading. He even flashed Sophia his best version of puppy eyes for good measure. “You can't tell a story about a celebrity demanding the entire floor be cleared of guests without actually telling us who it was!”