Page 31 of King of Justice

It wasn’t the same thing. Nathan and I weren’t dating.

But if I knew that I didn’t want anything out of it, why did I let myself fall asleep in his bed? And when I briefly opened my eyes at half-past-four, why did I decide to spend the night? I could have easily snuck out, but I chose to remain asleep in his arms. I gave him the wrong idea and…

Stop. Men and women have been sharing beds for decades without it meaning anything. You were being hard on yourself. You’re judging your own actions far harsher than you would a friend’s. This isn’t self-love.

Where did the joint go? Had I really smoked it all?

The feelings I was experiencing either promised a fantastic night or threatened me with a dark pit of self-loathing. I wasn’t interested in the latter, so I grabbed my purse and fished out the phone.

“Yes?” Nathan’s tone was a sure sign that he was upset—and rightfully so.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“The way I left.”

“So, it takes you a while to process things. I can work with that.”

“Don’t be a jerk.”

“Your apologies are peculiar.”

“Surprised?”

“Very little surprises me.”

“Yet you seemed shocked when I turned down your lunch invitation.”

He sighed into the phone. “What do you want, Jones?”

A thousand contemplations rushed back and forth in my mind within a second, until I blurted out what I truly wanted. “I wanna see you.”

“There’s somewhere I’ve gotta be.”

“Fine, meet me when you’re done.”

“It’ll be late.”

“I got all night.”

“You’re persistent.”

“And what do you make of that?”

“I’m not gonna do this with you.”

“Do what?”

“Make assumptions.”

“Then don’t. Just come and meet me at the center in Brooklyn.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s closed now.”

“And guess who has a key.”

“Fine. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

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