Page 82 of Shattered

I huff out a chuckle and lean my elbow on the counter, laying my cheek in my palm while looking at her. She was the one who suggested moving in the first place, saying she’d probably do better at selling property in the city.

“It would,” I agree. “I did mention it to Neilix.”

A perfectly shaped eyebrow arches. “And what did he say?”

“Nothing really.” I shrug. “But I told him it wasn’t because of him.”

“Well, it wasn’t originally, but you have to admit, he’s a good incentive.”

I smile again, pushing up from the counter. “You’re not wrong.”

“So . . .?”

“I’m leaning toward yes.” She brings her hands together in front of her and releases an excited gasp, but I just shake my head. “It’s not definite.”

She grins, sliding into her heels by the door. “It’s close enough. Oh! I’ve been meaning to ask if Navi has spoken to you since Neilix told her?”

Leaning my hip against the counter, I fold my arms. “Yes, actually. And it wasn’t as weird as I thought it would be. They co-parent and are supportive of each other’s lives.”

“You don’t see that often.”

“No,” I agree. “I thought I might be more jealous than I have been, but honestly, I think I’ve moved on from that, and it feels good. Everything just feels like it’s fitting into place, you know?”

Sarah tilts her head, a soft look on her face. “Yes. And I’m so happy for you guys.” She pulls the door open and then peers at me over her shoulder. “And that’s why we should move to the city.”

A giggle spills out of me. “Gosh, you’re relentless.”

Nodding, she says, “All right, I have to leave now. Drive safely and have fun.”

“You, too. Don’t bring home any weirdos.”

She shrugs while giving me a wink. “Can’t make any promises.” Then she walks out the door, blowing a kiss.

With her gone, I open the fridge, pulling out the leftover Alfredo to heat up for dinner. There’s a lingering smile on my face as I eat my food slowly to waste time, imagining what it would be like living in the city and being able to see Neilix more often—and Jason, for that matter. Maybe it is time to bite the bullet and make the move.

When I catch myself continually checking my phone, I decide to stay busy around the apartment, trying to keep my mind occupied. I hadn’t packed a bag yet, so I get started on that, picking out pretty items, including some lingerie I splurged on this week.

When I’m done, there are still no messages from him, so I put on a load of laundry and then fold and put away the pile of clothes that had accumulated on the chair in my room. I sigh when there is still nothing on my phone after all of that.

Gosh, I need to chill.

I’m dying to send him a message to see how it’s going and how much longer I’ll have to wait, but we agreed I better not text in case Jason sees it. We’re going to come clean with him soon, just not tonight. We want to tread lightly since we don’t know how he’ll react. With great effort, I eventually force myself to sit and watch some TV to pass the time.

After two episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, I finally receive that one little text I had been waiting for.

Neilix: We’re done.

With my heart fluttering away in my chest, I reply that I’m on my way.

A little over an hour later, I pull up in front of Neilix’s place, my eyebrows pulling together when I don’t see his car anywhere. My gaze swings up and down the street as I get out, wondering if he had to park farther away for some reason. But there are plenty of parking spots here, so I can’t see that being the case.

With my overnight bag hoisted over my shoulder, I walk up the path to his place, but a tiny seed of worry dampens the excitement I had earlier when I notice all the lights are off. There’s no way he would have just gone to bed when he knew I was coming. And if he had fallen asleep while waiting, there would be lights on.

I ring the doorbell, then try to peek in the front window. It’s dark as shit, so I don’t know what I was hoping to see, and no sounds are coming from inside.

Pulling my phone from my bag, I double-check that he saw my reply in our text thread. It shows read, so he definitely knew I was on my way here. Clicking the phone icon, I try calling him, but it immediately goes to voicemail. I dial again, but it’s the same thing, so I leave a short message, letting him know that I’m at his house.

“Shit.”

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