Page 85 of There's No Us Without You
Moments later, Stella responds with a thumbs-down emoji and a text letting me know she has to babysit her five-year-old sister.
My upper body sinks forward as I stare at her message. It’d be great if I had more friends to distract me from my own mind.
I glance around at the dimly lit lounge room, my focus landing on the TV. The next best thing to drinking my sorrows away is a good movie. Although, chances are I won’t see the end—I tend to fall asleep during movies, even when I’m not tired. Something about being curled up on the couch makes me feel safe, especially now that I’m living here.
I stand to place my plate in the dishwasher when my phone alerts me to another message. This better be Stella telling me she’s now available.
I’m almost bouncing as I stab a finger against the screen to check the message.
Except it’s not Stella.
It’s Tyler.
Tyler: Edie girl. Party. My house.
My hands shake as I type out a message. This must be fate, him inviting me out when I need an escape. It’s Thursday night, my only friend is busy, the boys aren’t here to entertain me, and I don’t have work tomorrow, so...
Me: What time?
Tyler: Now! Get your arse over here.
Adrenaline surges through my body, giving me a little boost of energy. I can’t help the huge grin spreading over my face, even though Will’s words from Monday night nag me to think things through.
He won’t be happy, but guess what? I’m a grown-arse woman and I sure as hell am not going to sit around waiting for him to come home like I did with Kent.
Me: Be there soon x
Tyler responds with a picture of himself with his thumb up, then sends through his address.
Before Will and Emerson arrived home on Monday night, Tyler and I had exchanged phone numbers. He wanted the recipe for the brownies, which I’m yet to send.
Although, I thought he was only being nice.
People often say things they don’t mean, but maybe Tyler isn’t one of those people after all.
Maybe he is a good person, and Will is just full of shit.
Or jealous?
I laugh, shaking my head at myself.
Now that’d be something. After our little moment on Monday, Will has gone back to avoiding me. I haven’t even had a night terror, either—not since Emerson has been back at least.
On one hand, I’m relieved they aren’t taking over my life again. On the other hand, it makes it so much harder to get close to Emerson because he’s gone back to sleeping in his room.
He’s also a little moodier than usual. Is it because of his injury? He hasn’t really been his happy little self since arriving home on Monday night. After he snapped at me when I questioned him about his leg, I haven’t wanted to push him further—the last thing I need, or want, is for him to pull away.
After a quick shower, I throw on a pair of tight black jeans that hide all my lumps and bumps, and pair it with a fitting burnt-orange cropped shirt that meets the waistline of my jeans. The outfit is a little tighter than my usual party attire, but without my mother telling me every day I need to lose some weight, I don’t feel so ashamed of my body.
It’s amazing what some distance does to your self-esteem.
I double-check my bag for my house keys and phone, then skip out the front door to meet the Uber I called ten minutes earlier.
Why do I feel like a schoolgirl sneaking out of her parents’ house to go kiss boys in the middle of the night? After Willwarned me to stay away from Tyler, the last thing I want is for him to chase me down.
Wait. No, that’s a lie.
I want Will to chase me down. The thought of what he would do warms my skin and has my pussy tingling.
