Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 117379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
My phone buzzed.
PAINTER: How’s Portland?
Yeah, right. Like I wanted to talk to fucking Painter. I picked up my drink and chugged it down fast.
Kit slid in next to me, eyes wide.
“Are we not a happy camper?” she asked. I slid my phone over to her and she picked it up, studying the message. “Ah, the amazing Painter.”
Then she started typing. It took me a minute to realize what she was doing. I lunged for the phone and she laughed, hitting send.
“You bitch!” I yelled. She laughed and gave it back to me.
ME: Figure it out, dumbass. You blew it, and now I’ll never blow you.
“Wow, that’s cold,” I said, impressed. “He’s gonna be really pissed at me.”
“You found him fucking a girl in the bathroom right after he turned you down,” she said bluntly. “He doesn’t get to be pissed. Ever. And what do you care? You’re done with him.”
“Yeah, but I still have to see him around when I go home.”
“So what?” she asked. “It’s like your head is still in Coeur d’Alene. You live in Portland now, babe. Bottoms up!”
She passed her drink over to me, and I chugged that one, too.
“I think I’m drunk,” I said after a couple minutes. She leaned forward, looking deep into my eyes like a fortune-teller.
“Really drunk, or just mostly?”
“Mostly,” I replied. “But definitely not sober.”
“Excellent,” she declared. “Now we’re going to talk about Liam.”
I swayed.
“I never should have told you about him.”
“Probably,” she agreed. “But you did, so that’s a done deal. Have you heard from him at all since that night?”
“No,” I said. “I don’t know if that pisses me off or not. I mean, it was all lies. I know that. But I still sort of miss him. How fucked up is that?”
She cocked her head, thinking.
“Pretty fucked up. But that’s how it is when you break up with someone.”
“You have to be with someone before you can break up with them.”
Kit started laughing.
“What?”
“You and Liam—Hunter—whatever we want to call him … You guys definitely had a relationship. You talked every day for weeks. You had phone sex with him and you pretty much had real sex with him, even if he didn’t literally stick his dick in you. He screwed you over and then he came to visit you and let you know you were safe. That’s more of a relationship than I had with that dumbass I got engaged to. Well, except for the sex part. We had more of that. But my point is, you broke up with someone. Of course you’re gonna be thinking about him.”
I considered her words. She had a good point.
“You know, that actually makes me feel a little better,” I said. “Less like I’m crazy.”
“So have you stalked him online since it happened?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said. Duh. “I mean, I looked at his house and stuff on Google. Went through his wallet. I already told you about the panties and shit. But there’s not much to find. His profile is gone and I can’t find anything else on him. I have no idea how much of what I knew of him was real.”
“This is going to take more alcohol,” she said, surveying our empty glasses.
I considered her statement, then nodded gravely.
“I have to pee.”
“You go do that,” Kit said, equally serious. “Try not to get lost. I’m gonna go replace these drinks. It’s my duty as a sister to make sure you don’t sober up any time in the near future.”
I stood, swaying, and realized there was no real danger of me sobering up any time soon. I made my way to the bathroom, passing the guys playing pool. One of them made eye contact, and I smiled. Yeah, being away from the club was pretty cool. I could flirt with him and not have to worry about him suddenly disappearing because some prospect started growling.
It took a long time to get to the bathroom and back. I can’t quite remember why, but I think I might have gotten lost near the pool table. Kit sat waiting for me, my phone in front of her, fingers flying.
Shit, why hadn’t I taken it with me?
Oh yeah. Drunk.
“Okay, two things,” she said when I got back. “I changed his name from Liam to Hunter in your contacts. It’s confusing me to keep track of both. Also, he said this.”
She handed it over to me. I looked at her blankly.
“Read it already,” she said. “Here, I got you a drink.”
She pushed a glass toward me, then glanced at the phone pointedly.
I looked down.
ME: Hey. Wht r you doing?
HUNTER: Em? Holy shit. How are you? I’m not doing anything. Can’t believe your messaging me
ME: I just wondred how you were, maybe if you think about me?
I looked up and gave Kit a death glare. Why hadn’t I drowned her when we were both still small, and I could’ve gotten away with it?