Page 52 of As Long As You Kiss Me

So many emotions warred inside Sully that she couldn’t define. “All these years, and you never told us you were together when he died.” She opened the door to the truck. It was too much to revisit his death again. She’d come to terms with it, and now the wound was reopened and she didn’t know what to do with it.

“Wait. Where are you going?” His voice sounded desperate.

“I can’t sit here anymore. I need to go home. I’m sorry, Jackson.” She dug into her bag and gripped her keys so tightly they cut into her palm. She was in shock. That had to be what this was. Everything felt numb, and the world was spinning around her.

“Can we talk about this again?” Concern filled Jackson’s voice.

She shook her head. “I don’t know right now.” Thinking about it was too hard. Sully had to escape immediately. She trudged up the stairs to her apartment and unlocked the door. The security camera watched over her. At least Mason hadn’t tried to come take it down. After opening the door, she spotted Aubrey curled up on the couch.

“Hey. You’re home awfully late.” Aubrey wriggled her eyebrows. “Out with loverboy?”

Sully dropped onto the sofa beside her roommate. She had to talk about something to get her mind off of what Jackson had just told her. “What are you watching?” She grabbed the bag of tortilla chips Aubrey had left open on the coffee table and reached in for a handful.

“This reality tv show where people meet their future spouse as they’re walking down the aisle at their wedding. It’s like a blind date taken to a whole other level.”

“That does seem like a show you’d like.” Aubrey was obsessed with weddings and couples getting together. She was always watching reality tv shows about people finding love.

Aubrey gave her a frown. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“What question?”

“The one where I asked if you were out with Jackson.”

“Oh, right. I was.” She hoped that answer was sufficient for Aubrey, who always loved to dig into romantic situations to get all the juicy details. Maybe she’d get lucky tonight, and Aubrey wouldn’t interrogate her about her night. Because after the night she’d had, she could use a little good luck.

But Aubrey didn’t seem to be cooperating with Sully’s unspoken desires. “And how was it?”

“You know, I’m tired. I’m going to head to bed.” She’d come into the house to avoid talking about Tyson’s death any longer than she had to. The last thing she wanted to do was bring it up again.

“Hey, wait,” Aubrey said. “Something’s up with you. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You look kind of shaken up. Are you okay?” Aubrey paused the show.

“I’m just tired.”Please let me go to bed without talking about it.

“Okay, but if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.”

Relief washed over Sully. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind. I’m just going to get ready for bed now.” She escaped Aubrey’s all-seeing eye and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She still hadn’t been able to process everything Jackson had told her. How could she talk about it with Aubrey? She finished up with her teeth and washed her face before using the bathroom. Then she headed into her room and changed into a pair of pajamas, which consisted of a tank top and a soft pair of shorts. She tended to get hot when she slept.

She crept beneath the covers and pulled them up to her chin. She tried to go to sleep, but only tossed and turned. She couldn’t turn her brain off. All she could think about was the explosion. Had Tyson been in pain, or had it been quick for him? The thoughts tormented her for hours until she finally fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke, her mouth was dry, and the events of the night before came rushing back. She pushed up to a sitting position and tried to breathe through the weight on her chest. She checked her phone. There was a missed call from Jackson, but she couldn’t talk to him. Everything was still too fresh.

She trudged to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

“Mornin’, sleepyhead.” Aubrey came into the kitchen. She was dressed in workout clothes and was sweaty, like she’d just come home from a run. “How’d you sleep?”

How did Aubrey know how to ask the very questions she didn’t want to answer? “Fine,” she lied.

“You don’t look fine. You have huge bags under your eyes,” Aubrey bluntly pointed out.

“Gee, thanks.”

“I’m not saying it to be rude. I’m worried about you. There’s something you’re not telling me, and I just want to help.” Aubrey went to the fridge and pulled out a protein shake. She twisted off the cap and took a big swallow of it.

Sully sat at the table without saying a word. Her coffee was finished brewing, and she got up to retrieve it.

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