Page 62 of No Longer Safe

We couldn’t stop laughing as she fought to get my phone and somehow I kept her from it. When Ace came down the stairs he merely stared at us like we’d grown two heads. “Is this what I have to look forward to every night?”

There were bags under his eyes and his clothes were rumpled. It seemed like it had been a long day for him and I immediately felt guilty for keeping them up.

Carina finally gave up and collapsed on me. She practically gave him heart eyes. “Probably.”

His lips formed a tired smile. “As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

And that right there was what I wasn’t going to find on Tinder.

Chapter Forty-One

Audrey

Surprisingly enough,I’d been in New York City for a week and Alexei hadn’t come around once. I was too afraid to ask Carina or Ace where he was because I didn’t want to come off desperate or interested. Carina would sniff out weakness if I even brought it up. And it wasn’t like I was either of those things, I was merelycurious. He was usually dead set on trying to annoy me as soon as I got into town. Maybe he was bored with me now that he knew I was never going to leave, that was the only explanation I could come up with. It didn’t make me feel better.

Sometime while I was eating breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, Carina managed to snag my phone and download every single dating app she could find. I knew better. She said dating but I knew she just wanted me to get laid and get the past five years out of my system. Little did she know, I didn’t need to get laid to do that and I didn’t need to date either. But, going on a date didn’t feel like a terrible idea. It actually seemed fun, not because I was ready for anything serious but because I was ready to just be me and find me again. It would be interesting to meet new people and find friends in this massive city too.

This was my third time eating lunch in Central Park. Carina went to work with Ace most days, seeing what he did in theoffice. I was too afraid to ask what the office actually entailed so I decided to explore the city. I found myself at the same hot dog truck and on the same bench each day. It was nice. It was windy and it wasn’t humid. It was busy and there were people around constantly. Today I brought a book with me. It wasn’t something I was overly interested in but it was nice. It was nice to just be without a timeline or pressing needs to attend to. After staring at the same page for about an hour, I decided my time was probably better spent watching people. There were so many different types. It was scary and fascinating.

“I didn’t enjoy that book much either,” A woman said a few spaces down from me, startling me as I was staring at a man and a woman under a blanket in the middle of the park. It looked like they were doing something… well, it looked like they were having sex. Sex under a blanket in the middle of the park? It was unhinged. I couldn’t wait to tell Carina.

I looked down at the cover of the book I’d picked up on a whim at the bookstore down the road. “It’s not that I’m not enjoying it.”

She grinned, showing off a gap between her front teeth. “You’d just rather watch two people have sex in the middle of the park.”

I pressed my palm to the center of my forehead, my face flaming. “Yes.”

She let out a laugh as she got closer. She held up a book of her own, it was a YA fantasy. I loved those. “I picked this up but I’m not feeling it. It takes a special mindset to get into fantasy world building and I’m just not in it.”

I nodded. I could agree, it was why I hadn’t read fantasy in a while. My headspace was not in the best place.

She brushed her blonde, corkscrew hair behind her ear. “Are you on your lunch break?”

I shook my head. “Still trying to figure out life and jobs and being in the city.”

She ran her hands down her bellbottom jeans and I realized I hadn’t introduced myself. “It’s a bit overwhelming.”

“I’m sorry,” I held my hand out. “I’m Audrey.”

I didn’t know how it was possible but her grin stretched even wider. I knew right then that I liked her and hoped she would be my friend.

Even I sounded lame in my own head.

She took my hand in hers. “Talullah. But you can call me Lu!”

“Well, Lu, where do you work?”

She shoved her book back into her oversized shoulder bag. “Umm, just a little publishing house around the corner.”

I let out a breath. “How cool!”

“Have you applied to any jobs around here?”

And that was the beginning of a new friendship and I’d never been so excited to be in a new place as much as I was then.

Carina was pacingthe penthouse when I got back.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I closed the door behind me and toed off my Vans.

---