Page 113 of The Price of Forever

My stomach had worked itself into knots by this point, but the idea of attending their dinner—and coming face to face with Jordan—set my gut twisting even more.

SEVEN: I’ve actually got a lot I need to finish at the new office. Just met with a new employee. If I’m not too tired afterward I might swing by. Chico’s on hand tonight if you need him for anything.

AXEL: No problem. I hope we’ll see ya, but if not, I totally get it.

I pushed my phone away, my face dropping to my hands. Two days ago, I’d been in paradise. And today, nothing felt right.

My intuition was pinging, and it told me something I didn’t want to hear.

If you go any further, every day is going to be like this. And you know where that leads.

I stewed in the festering silence until my thoughts became so loud I needed an escape hatch. Deep down inside, all I could think about was the natural conclusion of this love affair: falling so deeply in love that I’d offer up my quivering heart on a platter, only for it to be shredded. I reached for my phone again and hit the speaker button, then speed dial. This was suddenly an emergency.

When Trojan answered, he sounded like he’d just been napping. “H’lo?”

“Hey, man. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“Nah. I’m just in the spa.”

I blinked. “Like...a nail salon sort of spa?”

“Sorta. I think they’ve got one of those places over there.”

“Is this for you, or…” Some of my bad mood was lifting. All I could imagine was Trojan relaxing in a sauna by himself.

“Uh, sorta.”

“And you give me shit about being cryptic.”

“Listen, why don’t you tell me why you called first and then maybe I’ll tell you what I’m fucking doing at the spa,” he countered.

I laughed into my hand. “I don’t know. Why I called seems irrelevant now.”

“Bullshit. What’s up?”

“Nothing much.” I rubbed my hands together slowly. Where to begin? Everything felt so jumbled.

“Okay, great. Thanks for the chat. I’ll talk to you later—”

“Shut the fuck up.” Laughter edged my words. “I’m calling because…” I let out a sigh, rubbing my face.

“I already know why. I just want to hear you say it,” Trojan said.

“I just need some perspective,” I finally summarized. “Things have…progressed with Jordan.”

A loud groan ripped through the phone.

“You need a lot more than perspective, it sounds like,” Trojan said.

“I don’t know, man. It feels right with her. Like…indescribably right.”

“You fell in love this quick?” He sounded incredulous.

“I never said that.”

“I know how to read between the lines.”

I scoffed. “Whatever. My point is, things are intense. I made a bad decision even starting this, and now she’s making a dangerous decision that’s got me freaking out, and I just…” My words faltered, my throat tightening. I hadn’t shed tears over Olivia in years. But suddenly, I realized all my attempts to become a heartless monster had failed.

---