Page 17 of The Break Out

I groan, throwing my hands up in the air. “I’m not going out with you. Give it up.”

“One date.”

“No.”

“Whatif I say please?”

“No.”

“Is there anything–”

“No.”

“What if–”

“No.”

“Baby–”

“No.”

“Brynn–”

“You do know my name. Oh my God, I assumed you thought my first name was baby.”

He laughs and I scowl.

“Fine, I’ll leave on one condition.”

“What?” I ask, exasperated by this entire exchange.

“You let me know you made it home okay.”

I roll my eyes, “I’m home now.”

“Into your apartment,” he smirks.

“Yeah, fine, sure, bye.”

I press the button for the elevator and hope he won’t try following me, completely over this entireinteraction. He’s exhausting and I can’t stand him. Good on any woman who chooses to put up with him because he would drive meinsane.Luckily, he stays outside the elevator as the doors close in his face.

Once I’m inside my apartment, safe and sound with the door locked, I breathe out a sigh of relief. My exhaustion hits me like a ton of bricks, and I get ready to crawl into bed. While I’m brushing my teeth my phone goes off with a notification. I see it’s a message on social media and roll my eyes so hard I’m convinced they may get stuck.

Colton: You didn’t tell me you got home.

Brynn: I got home.

Colton: Too late, the deal is off, guess I won’t stop leaving you alone. Goodnight, Princess.

I toss my phone down before rinsing out my mouth. I don’t know who I pissed off in one of my lives to deserve this annoyance, but I’m sorry. I apologize to whoever it was, just please,pleasemake this man go away.

And yet when I start to doze off to sleep the last thing I think about is how his body was pressed against mine and how in that moment, I didn’t entirely hate it.

The next dayI go over to Spencer’s place because we have to talk about some things while she’s technically “off the grid” working on her next album. Jared and the team left for a weeklong road trip, and I’m thankful I get a week reprieve from Colton and his bullshit.

When Spencer answers the door in her sweatpants, tank top, and auburn hair in a messy bun she still looks very much like the rock star that she is.

“How’s it going?” I ask, as I walk into her huge house she shares with Jared.

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