Page 1 of Implode

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CLAIRE

The feel of ice cold water splashing over my face causes me to jump out of my sleep. I fly off the couch and cover my face with my hands in case another blast happens.

“What…the…hell!” I’m shivering so hard I can hardly get the words out.

I take a few steps back and wipe my face frantically with the edge of my shirt. My eyes open slowly, and I groan at the sight.

“Just staging your intervention, Claire Bear.”

“Blake!”

“Shhh…or you’ll wake up Henry and he’ll probably invite you to his orgy.”

I rub the sleep out of my eyes, as my body adapts to the sudden cold. “What time is it?”

“Ten till six.”

I toss my hands up into the air in frustration. “You cannot drench me with cold water ten minutes before my alarm is set to go off and call it a fucking intervention!”

“It’s all about making our own rules.”

“Is it? And what is it that you are trying to intervene on? Huh?”

“This…” He points at me. “This…”

“Just say it!”

“Oh,” he sighs. “I don’t actually know, but you are not acting like yourself, and I know it is over that hot specimen of a man. The one with the broody personality and the abs that can open up pickle jars. So, snap out of it before you lose yourself entirely. I want the old Claire back. The one who didn’t take shit from anyone and wiped asses.”

My eyes narrow, and I prop my hands on my hips. “Wiped asses? Really?”

“That’s not what I meant to say. Wiped floorswithasses,” Blake corrects, making me laugh.

I let out a sigh. “I’m still me. I am just trying to navigate two breakups within a short amount of time, find an apartment to live in, manage a start-up company, and actually earn some money. I am overwhelmed and lacking the skills to handle everything with grace. So bear with me. Please.”

“I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

“I ate Oreos last night,” I confess.

“Okay.”

“The entire pack,” I clarify.

“Okay.”

“A family pack.”

“Well damn.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t my finest moment.” Maybe I do need this intervention after all. I feel like I’m living someone else’s life and not feeling like myself.

“What brought on the processed foods binge fest?”

“Nic interrupted my evening last night,” I blurt out without thinking. I am careful not to mention the agency and keep things vague. The last thing I need is to be sued for a violation of the NDA. He is annoying enough to take me to court. I just know it.

I thought I knew Nic. I thought we connected beyond just the physical attraction we have for one another. I obviously thought wrong. I don’t know him at all, and he sure as hell doesn’t give a damn about me. It is a hard pill to swallow when you realize that everything you thought you knew about a person was some fabricated fantasy in your head.

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