Page 171 of Always You

“Hey, Ben,” I say, keeping my eyes locked with Hunter, softly growling.

“I know you wanted space, but I just wanted to make sure you’re okay?” Ben’s friendly voice asks.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“You’re going to call it an early night?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “I’m just going to watch some movies for the rest of the day, order some takeout, and go to bed early.” Hunter’s eyebrows raise at my lies, and I’m scolding myself for lettingthem leave my mouth so easily.

The line goes silent until Ben lets out a troubled sigh.

“You don’t have to do this alone, you know? We’re in this together.”

His tone is annoyed, and I clench my jaw.

“I know,” I say through gritted teeth, “but I want to be alone.”

“Okay,” he says quietly. “I’ll call you tomorrow then.”

“Alright, bye.” I hang up, pushing it back into my pocket, then lock my eyes with Hunter’s again. “Don’t judge.”

He stares up at me, brushing his nose against mine.

“I won’t. You want me to take you home, though?”

I think about it. Going home is the safe choice. It’s what I should do and what I told Ben I’d be doing. But the longer I’m in Hunter’s presence, the more vocal my heart seems to be.

“No. I want to stay here.”

67

“So you and Ben are on a break?” Julie’s arm is curled around mine as we trot down the street. The fall has barely set in, and a soft breeze rustles through the trees that are standing firm and opulent on Main Street as we head toward the local bookstore.

“Well, I don’t know about that. But I did tell him that I needed a break.”

“And then you went bowling with Hunter.” There’s a bit of ridicule in her voice.

“Yes. Oh my god, I’m such a harlot.” Actually saying it out loud, I realize how ridiculous it sounds. But the weird thing is, even though I should feel embarrassed about hanging out with a man that isn’t my boyfriend, I don’t. It feels completely normal to go bowling on a midweek afternoon with Hunter. Which is a clear red flag that I’m in some serious danger.

SOS.

“Did you sleep with Hunter?”

“What? No!” I hold back the fact that my vagina was practically begging me to cross that line too, but we kept it all PG-13.

“Kiss him?”

“No.” I wish.Shut up, Charlotte.

“Then you're not a harlot,” she states matter-of-factly, something I’ll happily agree with. I was just reliving old memories with an old friend, right? Nothing bad about that.

“Still can’t believe you spent 50k on his credit card.”

I lick my lower lip with mischief etching through. “I thought he was gonna cancel it and yell at me.” I was planning on it. I wanted to fight with him, just to have a reason to shout in his face about all things petty. Is it childish? For sure. Do I care? Nope. I’ve been the good girl for years, so I just wanted to be the bad girl for once. Spending fifty thousand on Hunter’s credit card sounds like my kinda bad way more than pole dancing in the strip club two towns over.

“Puh-lease,” Julie scoffs, “at this point, you can buy a million-dollar mansion and he’d still be worshiping the ground you walk on. Remember, he’s here foryou.”

“We’re friends, Jules.” I wonder how long I can keep saying that until I start growing two heads. One that tells the truth, and one that is all too good at lying.

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