Page 27 of Vows in Sin
Because if I stop, even for a second, I worry that the grief will consume me completely.
My screen lights up with a call.
I swipe up and answer. “Hey, you. Long time!”
“Hey, Seraphina!” Lucy’s voice is a burst of energy through the line. “I was thinking about you. We missed you at Girl’s Night Out. How are you doing?”
A smile tugs at the corners of my lips as I lean back against the subway seat. “Oh, you know me, always a ray of sunshine,” I reply with a touch of playful sarcasm.
“You haven’t posted in forever. I live for your TikToks. The one with you dancing in the banana robe? I choked on my coffee.” Her voice dips with concern. “Are you going on social anytime soon? We miss you.”
I haven’t been out in ages. I used to post quirky, fun videos of myself working or dancing in my apartment a couple of times a day to keep my friends entertained and potential marketing companies intrigued with my fresh content.
I’ve not posted on any sites since the day of my firing.
“Soon, yeah, of course! I’ve been busy lining up work. Whew, it’s time-consuming—all those meetings!”
“The drawbacks of being self-employed,” she laughs. “You have to choose which brand you want to work with next.”
I haven’t been entirely honest about why the PalmVolt campaign is no longer active. I only told friends that they’ve chosen to go in a different direction. This happens from time to time, I’ve assured them.
We chat about everything and nothing—memes, outfit ideas, gossip, and the latest influencer scandal. Our laughter bubbles like a well-rehearsed dance: quick, easy, and perfectly timed.
Then she slows down. I sense the question before she speaks a word. “So, are you seeing anyone?”
Our girls’ group loves our gossip.
“No, not at the moment.”
“What about that guy you met in Rome? He sounded hot. Did he ever text you back?”
“God, him?” I laugh. Too quickly. Too loud. “I’d forgotten about him till you just mentioned him.” Which, oddly, is almost true. My twisted tryst in the storeroom helped with that. Reign helped with that…I cough up a laugh, clearing the emotion welling in my throat. “Time flies when you’re single in this city.”
“Really? It’s dragging for me. All I’ve landed are the Peter Pan types. There are far too many amazing women in this city for them to choose from. They get lazy.” She goes on to tell a story about the last man she dated, who was her age yet didn’t know how to work a washing machine. As I laugh along with herdescription of what she calls ‘deadfish’ sex they had, my mind wanders.
To Reign.
He’s older. A real man. I don’t know who does his laundry, but he knows his way around a mafia, a business, this city.
And my body.
“Anyway,” she says, bringing me back to the present. “I’m done with him now.”
“I’m glad you’ve given up on him,” I say. “You deserve to have good sex.”
A beep from my phone—another call coming in.
“Hold on, Lucy.” I glance at the screen. “I’ve got to take this,” I sigh. “Can I call you later?”
“Sure,” Lucy says. “Text me later, okay?”
“Of course. And thanks for checking on me. You’re a good friend.”
We hang up. My heart sinks as I switch to the next call. “Hey.”
I hold the phone to my ear. Hear the familiar voice. The monologue I have practically memorized begins.
Floodwaters surge inside me, threatening to overwhelm me.
