Page 71 of Encounter

Believing he had anything in common with her was irrational, selfish and completely unfair to him... I kept getting lost in my emotions—confusing him and confusing myself.

It wasn’t fair.

“Don’t think about stupid things like that,” I said coldly, fully aware I was acting like a child, and that it was only going to mess him up. It was all I could bring myself to do in the moment—to run away from it, act like it didn’t exist.

Reaching into the drawer, I took out some tissues and threw half of them at Galen. “Clean up and go to sleep.”

Quickly wiping myself, I laid back down and turned my back to him, closing my eyes.

While the eggs mixedwith some fried onions softened in the pan and their smell filled the kitchen, I reached into the fridge to get the ham. Sniffing it with suspicion, I eventually shrugged and hoped it was still good, plopping it on the cutting board to cut it into pieces.

Letting the smoke escape through the corner of my mouth, I pressed the cigarette between my lips and listened to the sounds coming from the bedroom—Galen’s voice, soft and high-pitched. He was probably waking up, and Kitty must have been quick to greet him, as she always did with me.

I ordered myself to focus on the cooking, but it was near impossible. I felt like a hen on a hot griddle all morning. My chest was tight, my stomach uneasy. All because of how weird I made it last night.

Get your shit together, Chast, now!

Finally, Galen emerged from the bedroom, with a bad case of bed hair, tired, squinting eyes, and wearing his shirt and jeans from yesterday. Pussyfooting on the spot, I shared a look with him until I smelled the eggs burning and quickly turned to the pan again. “Mornin’,” I said, making my voice more lively and light. He must have been anxious, too. Knowing him, he was overthinking and worrying to death.

“Morning,” he replied with a nod, and after I felt him hovering

in the middle of the room behind me, I looked over my shoulder and pointed at the table.

“It’ll be done in a minute.”

As I turned back, I had to smile. He was really cute with those indents still fading from his cheek from sleeping on his face.

“I can just... go and have breakfast at home,” he mumbled but still sat down.

Rolling my eyes, I stirred the ham in and added some spices. “Bullshit,” I growled. “I’m already makin’ food. You like eggs, don’t you?” Finishing up the cigarette and dabbing it in the ashtray, I already felt like I needed another one.

“Y-Yeah.”

“Lucky you. This is pretty much one of the five things I can cook, so...” I admitted, chuckling, and got some plates out. Galen sat at the table waiting, all worried. Putting the plate in front of him, I sat across and let out a sigh.

“Thanks,” he said and started digging into the eggs fogging up his glasses. “Smells really nice.”

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