Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 135378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
My jaw drops open. “What are you talking about?”
Before anyone has a chance to answer me, two huge men come out of the bedroom and down the hall in my direction. My eyes widen as I take in the boxes they’re carrying. I step out of the way so I don’t get trampled, but I’m completely confused.
“What are they doing?”
Kendra stares at me. “Moving your shit, Sophie. What do you think they’re doing?”
My heart sinks. “Already?”
Kendra frowns. “What do you mean, already? Isn’t that what you’ve been doing this weekend?”
“No! I just went through the apartment like an hour ago. I didn’t know…”
It won’t make any sense if I explain myself, will it?
I’ll sound like a liar.
“Your roommates helped us get everything boxed up,” the moving guy tells me as he heads for the door. “Might want to take a look around, see if we missed anything.”
Sabrina glares at his back but waits until he walks out to mutter, “Like she has anything worth stealing.”
“Sabrina,” Rumi says.
“What? I’m pissed.”
“Look, I get it,” I say. “I understand you probably don’t believe me, but I had no idea he was moving my stuff out tonight. I had no idea moving was even a thing that was happening until after school today. I wouldn’t have left you high and dry like this.”
“Who’s he?” Rumi asks, her curiosity getting the better of her. “You’re not talking about Silvan?”
I nod. “He’s moving into this apartment, and he wants me to move in with him.”
Sabrina’s eyes practically pop out of her skull. “Seriously? You guys have been dating for like five minutes.”
A short laugh escapes me. “Yeah, I know.”
Sabrina cuts a look at Rumi. “If I text a guy too many times, he ghosts me. Meanwhile, she has the richest guy on campus literally falling at her feet after knowing her for like two days.”
“Green is not a cute color on you,” Kendra informs her, then cuts her gaze back to me, frowning. “You seriously didn’t know?”
“I bet his apartment is awesome,” Rumi says.
“I’m just really trying to wrap my head around how this man moved your shit out of your apartment without your knowledge, let alone your consent,” Kendra says, touching her temples. “This does not compute for me.”
“It’s a long story.” Since I’m not going to hang around and tell it, I head down the hall to see what the movers have packed.
Since the dorm is so small and I didn’t want to take up more than my fair share of the space, most of my stuff is at my mom’s house. I only kept the essentials here.
Looks like they got everything.
Is this the last time I’ll be here? All my stuff is out, so I guess so. I got along fine with my roommates, but realistically, I don’t see myself going out of my way to see any of them again. It’s the kind of thing people say they’ll do but never actually do, so I tend not to make the promise in the first place.
I take one last look around because, while I have no particular fondness for this place, I know it’s the last bit of separation I had between me and Silvan. When I lived here, I could come and go as I pleased, and I don’t know what that’s going to look like now. Honestly, I can’t see him being cool with me not coming home one random day because I decided to go sleep at my mom’s.
He’ll want to know where I am at all times, like he said today. His wording was more romantic, but the gist was the same.
His words from this past weekend resurface in my mind.
“Am I free now?”
“No. Just moving you to a comfier cage.”
I move my arm and pull my cell phone out of the back pocket of my Marc Jacobs bag. There are no new texts from Silvan, but I pull up our chain of messages and type one out to him.
“So… I guess my stuff is all packed and… wherever those men took it.”
“Good. Come home.”
Home.
I bite down on my bottom lip uncertainly.
“Is Hugh coming back for me?”
“He never left,” Silvan answers. “Once you’ve said goodbye to your old roommates, go downstairs and he’ll bring you to me.”
“Do I need to do anything here? Talk to the movers?”
“Nope, I’ve handled everything. All you have to do is get in the car.”
I’m relieved I don’t have to deal with this move I never asked for, at least. Maybe he picked up my world and moved it, but at least he didn’t also leave me with a to-do list.
“Thank you,” I type back.
“You’re welcome. Now, I miss you. Get your pretty ass downstairs.”
I crack a smile and darken the screen, slipping my phone back into my bag and heading back to the kitchen.