Page 19 of Hunt for You

SleepingBeast:yes.

DeadGirlWalking:Can I ask you one question about yesterday?

DeadGirlWalking:Cain?

DeadGirlWalking:its not anything bad.

DeadGirlWalking:I know you're still logged in.

DeadGirlWalking:Okay fine, ignore me if you want to, but I need to know: What cologne do you wear? You smelled divine. I was thinking I’d get you a bottle for Christmas. Arrange to get it sent online or something. A message of thanks from the grave.

SleepingBeast:You need help.

DeadGirlWalking:Duh. Why do you think you’re here?

SleepingBeast:Go shopping, Bridget. Post the pic when you’ve got it all.

DeadGirlWalking:How much time do I have?

SleepingBeast:You expect a trip to a couple stores to delay you indefinitely?

DeadGirlWalking:No, but I don’t know what’s on the list, so if I have to order something and wait I just want to make sure you aren’t going to abandon the plan.

SleepingBeast:You can find every item on that list within five miles of your house.

SleepingBeast:Goodbye Bridget. Sleep sweet and dream of me.

DeadGirlWalking:Wait!

[DeadGirlWalking is typing…]

[You have left the chat]

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I punched the keys a little too hard to close the forum, then confirmed that I was logging out, and went through the process of turning off the VPN.

I was breathing loud. And my heart was pounding.

My mind conjured three different reasons why I needed to log back on and talk to her, but I shook them all off and pushed away from the computer.

I was alone for now, but it wouldn’t stay that way, and I couldn’t risk anyone else catching wind of this. It had been reckless to login on a work computer at all, even though no one else was going to use it. I was breaking all my own rules and it was making me sweat.

And it wasthrilling.

As I made myself uninstall the software from the work computer, I kept reminding myself why it wassoimportant to keep myself unentangled from her.

But it was too late.

I dreamed about her last night.

God had a sense of humor. In the dream I’d met her walking down the road with the Pitbull from the gym, because he’d apologized to her and she’d been touched, and they ended up dating. And she didn’t know my face, so never recognized me. So every day I’d go in there and watch them work out together.

I woke up when I saw him lean over her and put his hand on her ass.

I woke up sweating, with a double-chokehold on the quilt, and my heart pounding so hard in my skull that it hurt.

I tried to avoid masturbating these days, but I was hard and aching andraging.I’d needed something to take the edge off.

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