Page 40 of Truly, Madly, Deeply

Oh fuck.

No.

No, no, no.

She didn’t. She couldn’t have.

Oh God. She had.

The proof was right there, staring her dead in the face.

Instead of texting Lulu, she’d sent her screenshot and incriminating message to Colin. Because he was her most recent contact. Because she was just tipsy enough to do something as careless as press send before double-checking who she was texting. What a rookie move.

Her hands shook as she typed.

Truly (11:13 p.m.): please forget i sent that

Shame curdled in her gut like spoiled milk as those dumb little dots danced across her screen, proof that Colin had seen her text and was typing back.

Colin (11:15 p.m.): If that’s what you want?

What did he mean, if that’s what she wanted? It was mortifying. Of course she wanted him to forget. She wished she could forget. Wished she could wipe this whole encounter from her mind, Men in Black–style.

Truly (11:18 p.m.): i’m out with lulu and i’m a little drunk right now srry!!

If she made sure to add in a typo so she’d seem drunker than she was? That was for her to know and Colin McCrory to never, ever find out.

Colin (11:20 p.m.): Ah. Haha. Okay.

Haha? She whimpered softly into the palm of her hand. Kill her now.

Colin (11:21 p.m.): Have fun and uh, drink water?

Colin (11:21 p.m.): Good night, Truly.

She was contemplating hurling herself off the roof of the bar when Lulu threw herself into her seat with a beatific smile that waned as soon as she actually looked at Truly. “What’d I miss?”

Chapter Eight

Truly was handling last night’s epic gaffe remarkably well.

If, by remarkably well, you considered putting your phone on “do not disturb” and hiding under the covers of your bed until noon, which she did.

Avoidance was a completely natural coping mechanism no matter your age, thank you very much. But she couldn’t avoid her phone forever. She had a call scheduled with her agent at two and she needed her phone for that.

With one eye shut and her teeth sunk borderline-painfully into her bottom lip, she flipped her phone off “do not disturb” and watched with bated breath as her emails and texts flooded in.

Colin’s name crossed her screen and her heart stopped.

Colin (8:15 a.m.):

A link. That was it. No context, nothing. Not even a preview because it was hit or miss if those even showed up.

She clicked it and held her breath, waiting for... she didn’t know. An article to wikiHow’s How to Take a Hint: He’s Just Not That Into You? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Truly was never going out drinking with Lulu again. She was a bad influence, the worst, most meddlesome—

The page loaded and Truly frowned.

It was an article on hangover cures. Specifically, 15 Wacky & Wonderful Hangover Cures from Around the World.

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