Page 28 of Castle's Cards

“Aren’t you going to eat yours?”

Addy picks up her madeleine.

“Of course.”

Addy proceeds to take the tiniest nibble known to man. She nods and puts it down.

“Very interesting.”

“She doesn’t like it.” Izzy looks at me. I shrug and smile.

“They’re not for everyone. Some people enjoy sponge cakes and other people aren’t big fans.”

“I like it!” Addy insists. “I’m just kind of stuffed from dinner. It was much more food than I was expecting.”

“That’s fair. Can we go home now?” Izzy asks. I laugh and get up to pay the bill. When I leave I see Addy in the corner of my eye lean across the table to say something to Izzy.

As much as I want to double back and ask what it is, I know that there are some things the sisters will want to keep private. I can’t expect to be in every part of Addy’s life right away.

When we pull up outside of their apartment, Izzy jumps out immediately, unlocking the door and hurrying to her room. Addy and I take more of our time, walking slowly behind her.

“Did you enjoy dinner?” I ask. I watch her carefully when she responds. I don’t know what it is about Addy’s behavior tonight, but she just doesn’t seem like herself tonight. Usually she’s very bubbly and sarcastic, but that woman didn’t make an appearance today. Instead, she was reserved and maybe a little sad.

“I did. It was delicious. Thank you for inviting me and Izzy out to eat with you. That was very generous.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of leaving Izzy out.”

Addy turns to me, determination shining in her eyes.

“Can we talk? There’s something that has been on my mind and I don’t think I’ll feel better until it’s addressed.”

I blink, surprised at how straight forward she’s being. But I prefer it over her being coy and pretending like nothing is wrong. I nod and she leads me through the apartment, pushing open the door to her bedroom.

It’s different than I expected. Many women’s rooms are their places, decorated with things that they love or cozy and comforting.

Addy’s room is anything but. The simple white walls only hold a single painting on the wall across from the bed, a shot of the beach that would be more typical for a hotel than someone's house.

The bedspread is a blue waffle knit, with plain white sheets covering the pillows. The only other piece of furniture in the room is a short white dresser under the picture. Addy sits on her hotel-like bed, leaning against the headboard, and pats a spot next to her.

I close the door behind me and move to sit next to her. Once I’m comfortable she turns to look at me and smiles, but there’s nothing joyful about the smile.

“What do you want to talk about?” I murmur. I lean in and brush my lips against hers. Addy kisses me back, her lips soft on mine before she pulls away.

“I don’t really know how to bring any of this up. It’s so awkward and honestly, I’m a little embarrassed that I feel so weird about it. But I know I won’t be able to continue without having this conversation.”

It takes everything in my power to keep my breathing in control. There’s a part of me that wants to tell her to get to the point because she’s causing me so much anxiety, but I know it’s not right to push her further than she is comfortable with just because of the way I’m feeling.

“Go on,” I encourage. Addy nods.

“Were you involved with Thalia? She said some things the other day that have made me feel extremely insecure. I thought that I could just ignore them and let it pass but I can’t. I have to ask you about her.”

I let out a shaky breath and chuckle before shaking my head.

“Thalia and I were… physical. But that was the extent of us.”

“Are you sure? She implied that there was something more to it.”

“Maybe that’s the way she interpreted things. Thalia and I never did anything outside of hooking up. It’s unfortunate that she doesn’t see things as they were but I think it’s common in those sort of situations, for one person to be more interested than the other.”

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