Page 39 of Marked by the Demigod

"Late tomorrow, have presentations pretty much every hour. Too many." She'll get coffee on the plane. Just lots of coffee. Over and over again.

They pull up to the familiar drop off zone and start to wait in the line. "Try to pick up another guy at the hotel bar, it'll be fun!" Trixie sounds forced.

Aimes doubts it, but halfheartedly shrugs. "I could try." And since apparently her guy/husband/Jake person is an asshole, there's nothing stopping her, but the thought sits weird. "But it's Maine."

"There could be firefighters in Maine. I think." Her voice almost chokes up, and Aimes sits up straight.

"Trixie?"

She sighs, as if deflating. "I'll text you about it, it's...it's nothing."

Aimes stares at the long line of cars in the waiting for drop off. "Sure, I'll have internet on the plane. Russ is springing for First Class."

"They have planes with First Class that go to Maine?"

"Apparently."

Trixie sits there, face pinched, before she turns in the driver's seat. "We had a fight. Me and… Kristopher."

Aimes figured. "And?"

Her face twists up. "He wants to work it out."

Aimes nods, but nothing else comes up. "That's a good sign."

"But I don't know how to do that!" Trixie bursts out. "He's great, but now we have to talk about feelings! And what we did wrong! And how to not do it again and I have no clue!" She smacks her steering wheel, eyes wide. "It's a trap, Aimes, it's like I have to figure out all the proper words to say and when to say them or else bad things will happen and it's such a trap. What if I just...mess it up."

"Do you want to mess it up?"

They move forward a few feet in line, and Aimes could probably get off and walk the rest of the way, but she stays buckled in.

"I don't think so?" Trixie's voice is small, as if she could shrink away. "I don't...think I do."

They pull forward again, and now it's really time for her to leave the car. "Email it to me, I'll help with words." She grabs her overnight bag, unbuckles herself. "Just tell him you don't want to mess it up and that you're worried about saying the wrong thing, that'll help."

"Can't I just have sex with him and be done?"

Aimes hesitates, her hand on the door. "I mean that can't hurt."

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