Page 69 of Breaking Away

He’s calling me back.

My hand shoots out, gripping a kitchen chair for support. My body bends.

Okay. Yes. I should ignore it.

“Princess.”

Shit, I answered.

“Heyyyy,” is the dragged out greeting from my crusty voice which has gotten little use this week.

“Did you get home okay?”

God. Why doeshisvoice sound like that? A professional sex operator would kill for this level of huskiness.

“Mmn. I did. Get home.”

My answer came out garbled, which he notices.

“Why does your voice sound like that?”

I cough. “No reason.”

“What’s wrong, Basra?”

Don’t. Please don’t.

He can’t care or pretend to care.

“I’m good,” I squeak out even as my lip trembles, because there’s no way I’m falling apart over him asking me what’s wrong like it matters.

“Kavi.”

My hand goes over my eyes. I’m wiping. “Nothing—it’s nothing. Just a touch of homelessness, but that’snothing. I’ll figure it out.”

My doorbell rings.

“Oh! That’s my breakfast. I should get that. I don’t want the bread to get soggy, because I probably won’t order from them again when I leave.”

I trudge to the door, still talking because I can’t seem to stop. “Jessima’s Diner. Great food. Really convenient since they’re downstairs in my building and they deliver even though I should go down to get the food, which I normally do, but not today.”

I grab the food. “Weird how I haven’t left the apartment. I thought I had a life, but it seems I don’t. Not outside hockey or my parents.”

“Homeless?” The edge to his voice cuts cleanly through my rambling.

Wait. What am I going on about? This is so much oversharing! Lokhov isn’t my therapist.

“Just a joke!” I cry out. “You know me. I’m good.”

My last words are muffled because I’m crying, which I hate. But I’m in despair. Everything has hit me all at once, suddenly. Iwon’t have a home for much longer. I have nowhere to go, unless I give in and go back to my parent’s house.

“I have to go because my sandwich calls!” is the last thing I get out before hanging up on Lokhov, so I can have a proper cry alone.

He calls me back.

I don’t answer.

28

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