Page 4 of Sweet Escape
Jake: If you don’t come back, we’re done.
When she swipes over to his contact and blocks his number, I’m overcome with an inexplicable swell of pride.What is it about her?
“Enjoy the show?” she asks.
“Would’ve been better with popcorn,” I deadpan. “Is Jake your ex?”
“Yep.” She exaggerates the pop of the P before she continues. “Caught him fucking my best friend in our bed. We were together for almost three years. Guess that explains why I haven’t gotten laid in six months.” Her face pales as she finishes her stream of consciousness. “Sorry. I don’t know why I told you all of that.”
“Seems to me you could use a friend.”
What is wrong with me? I don’t havefriends. I have annoying ass siblings, sickeningly sweet parents, and a feral toddler. I don’tdofriendship. Not since Jess.
Olivia huffs out a breath. “I’m not sure how to have friends anymore. I gave everything to Jake and Amber, and look how that turned out. My dumbass was waiting for a fucking proposal, but he was balls deep in my best friend for God knows how long.”
“It probably wasn’t that long. Thirty seconds, maybe a minute tops, judging by his limp dick text messages.”
She snorts out a laugh, and her eyes crinkle at the corners.
In a gentler tone, I add, “They were never your friends—not if they could hurt you like that.”
Her eyes widen. “Wow. Did you learn that in therapy?”
“Funny, but not exactly. My mom is a therapist, so we were raised with little nuggets of wisdom being thrown our way on a regular basis. I’d like to think a few things resonated over the years.”
The fasten seatbelt sign blinks on, and my body tenses. I’ve always been a nervous flyer—it’s one of the reasons I road tripped my way to Colorado the first time. I told Jess I’d meether there with a U-Haul instead of hiring a moving company, but I just needed an excuse to avoid air travel. With Emmy in my life, I don’t have the luxury of time, so I opted to fly home while she stays behind in Colorado with Jess’s parents.
I lean back and close my eyes, gripping the armrests, my knuckles blanched and spine rigid as the plane moves down the runway. A delicate hand grasps my wrist, and I turn my head to see beautiful, ocean-blue eyes staring back at me.
“Deep breath. I don’t need you passing out on me. Not now that you’re my only friend,”she teases.
Without thinking, I flip my hand and slide it beneath hers, interlocking our fingers. Her palm fits so perfectly in mine, and I blink, counting all of the ways this is a bad idea. The touch is far too intimate, but it grounds me, and I don’t have it in me to pull away. My heart rate slows. Eventually, the plane evens out until we’re coasting through the sky.
If I don’t think too hard about it, I can pretend we’re still on solid ground. I don’t let go when the seatbelt signs turn off, and she doesn’t pull away either. Olivia’s eyes drift shut. Her head lolls to the side, inadvertently resting on my shoulder.
I absently glide my thumb along her palm and let my mind wander back to the last woman I touched like this, toJess’s cold, lifeless hand clasped in mine before that final goodbye. The thought sobers me enough to release Olivia from my grip.
A short while later, the flight attendant stops beside my seat with the rolling cart, offering a small smile as she glances between me and the sleeping beauty still resting on my shoulder. “Would you like something to eat or drink?”
“Can I get a Jack and ginger?”
“Sure thing. Anything for your wife?”
Something tugs at my heart at the mention of my wife, and I run my thumb over my empty ring finger. There’s no way she could know my history, but it still pains me all the same. I don’t correct her, though. “We’ll take a water.”=
“Of course.”
As I set the drinks on the fold-out tray, Olivia’s eyelashes flutter open, and she sits bolt upright. “Shit. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you. How long was I out?”
“Only about thirty minutes. I got you some water in case you were thirsty.”
“Thank you. That was really thoughtful.”
“What are friends for?”
Olivia reaches into her purse, producing a set of earbuds, and opens an audiobook app on her phone.
“What are you listening to?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
