Page 75 of Side Trip

He deletes it only to start typing again.

Hello, Joy. It’s me, Dylan. I’m on social media.

Lame.

Delete.

It’s Dylan. I’ve missed you.

Not the way to open a message to a married woman. Delete.

Hey Joy. I’m in New York. Let’s meet up.

Hi Joy. I’ve been living in New York. Want to grab coffee and catch up?

Hey, you’ll never believe this. I wrote a song about you, hired another guy to sing it, and it won a fucking Grammy.

Delete. Delete. Delete.

Dylan shoves away his laptop and leans back in his chair. But his index finger finds its way back to the keyboard and absently taps theJkey. He’s a wordsmith. He writes Grammy-winning lyrics. He should be able to come up with something that doesn’t make him sound like a total jackass.

He needs to keep it real.

Hello, Joy. It’s Dylan.

I know what we promised at the airport, but I just can’t anymore. I can’t live another day missing you. I can’t go another day without seeing you. I can’t spend another day without telling you what I should have told you on that last day.

I love you.

I love the way you smile. I love the way your eyes sparkle when you look at me. I love the way the sun brightens your hair.

I love your deep belly laugh, which always made me laugh.

I love your vast knowledge of music and that you could bury me in a killer game of “name that song title.”

I love that I could talk to you about anything.

I just fucking love you.

I’m in New York. I’ve been living here for a while, and I’ve been wondering ...

Can we forget what we promised? Can we forget the deals we made?

How about a game of Truth or Dare instead?

I pick dare.

If you’re happy and are living your best life, ignore this message. Forget I ever contacted you. But if not, I dare you to meet me at the fountain in Washington Square Park. This Friday, 10:00 p.m.

His finger hovers over the “Send” button.Just click it.She won’t reject him. He won’t screw them up. But he hesitates.

What if Mark reads the message? What ball will that set into motion?

Dylan could bethat guywho ruins her marriage. Or, at the very least, his message could prompt Mark to question Joy’s loyalty. To cause a heated argument. To create a rift in the Pinterest-perfect marriage Joy likes to share on her Facebook profile.

He won’t be that guy.

Besides, if Joy felt anything close to what he does for her, she would have contacted him by now. Given how much Joy loves music, she’s heardJoyride. How could she not? The track received ample airplay. If he knows her well, and he did at one time, she would have purchased the album and seen his name in the credits.

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