Page 9 of Orlando

“Funny,” he says. “I have an early meeting tomorrow. I need to leave at seven. Can you drop Sebastian off at the office on your way to school?”

“Sure. Or I could just stay home with him,” I offer. “Homeschooling is a good option.”

“It’s not an option we need. I want you to give it a go, Aleeka. Trust me, you’ll thank me one day.”

“I’m sure,” I groan.

After dinner, I take Sebastian upstairs. He has his own bedroom, but he still sleeps in my room. His crib is set up by my bed. I like having him close. When he wakes up, I spend the next hour playing with him and telling him all about how I saw his daddy today.

My father is right. Orlando should know. I just need to figure out how the hell to tell him.

After bathing and getting Sebastian back to sleep, I finally fall into bed. Exhausted, I pick up my phone. There’s a message from an unknown number. So I open it and my heart skips a beat when I read the words.

Unknown:

You didn’t answer my question.

My hand shakes as I type out a response.

Me:

Who is this?

Unknown:

You know who it is.

Me:

Orlando?

It has to be him, right? I can’t think of anyone else it could be.

Unknown:

How many other guys did you ghost?

Me:

I didn’t ghost you.

I click the save button next to the number and add his name to my contacts. It’s different from the one I had before.

Orlando:

You left without a word. Didn’t answer my messages. That’s the definition of ghosting. So answer the question, Aleeka.

His question.Did I miss him?Every single day.

Me:

I tried to call. You blocked me.

Orlando:

I never blocked you. I had to change my number. Now, answer the question, Aleeka.

Me:

---