Page 155 of Bona Fide

? Ghostin —Ariana Grande ?

Me: Hey, we have to talk when you get a chance.

Not even thirtyseconds after sending the message, my phone goes off. Clenching it tightly, I answer, knowing precisely what I need to do.

“Hey, Jed.”

“Hey, beautiful,” he beams through the phone like he just popped off pink glitter in the air. “How’s it going?”

“Good, you?”

“Not bad, what’s up? Everything okay?” I pick up a pen off my desk and begin clicking the top.

I've wanted to break us off for a while now, just thought it'd be respectful to sit down and talk about it face-to-face.

However, Wade didn't care if he was making me do shit the easy, hard, bomb, or shitty way, he just wanted it done his way.

Forty-eight hours.

How'd he know if I really do it? One of his suits came outside with a phone number on a ripped piece of paper to send evidence to.

“Yeah—” I toss my pen down and straighten my shoulders. “—just wanted to talk to you about a few things.”

“Cool, shoot.”

“Well, you know I think you’re great. I mean, we’ve known each other forever.”

"Yeah, Rea, we've done a lot of crazy shit." He chuckles lightly, probably reminiscing on all the times I dragged him along to crash parties and shoved drugs into the head cheerleaders locker one year because she tried to kiss Marty.

“Good times,” I deadpan.

“Damn, I’ve lived most of my second-to-second moments with you. You taught me how to be fearless.”

My eyelids squeeze shut as I clench my cell. “So, listen...Jed, I really wish I could do this with you in the room. We—”

“Man—” He sighs. “—I wish you were here too.”

“Well, I just wanted to say that—”

“When are you coming back home? I think we should hit up a movie. Or maybe you should just come to that event I have coming up. We don’t even have to call it a date. You and I can just go as—”

“We can’t sleep together anymore.” A silence fills the other line, and I cringe at the buzzing it implies.

He's upset, I know he is, I know him. But he can’t be destroyed by Wade on top of my cutting ties with him.

He’ll get over me. He won’t get over his whole life being shattered and devoured for Wade’s breakfast over his morning newspaper.

“Like in the same bed?” I rub my temple in frustration. I might as well do what I did before and tell him I’m sleeping with Grant again, it’ll have the same effect.

Maybe this time, he’ll keep hating me.

"Like at all. No more sex. No more me coming home and us hooking up. We can be friends, but there isn't going to be anything more than that."

“Why?”

Mother of all hell.

“I’m trying to move forward with my life. Honestly, it has nothing to do with you or me, just what I think is fair for the both of us.”

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