Page 33 of Love Letter Lost
“Sorry.” Chloe looked chagrined but not enough to let the conversation drop. “I’ve just got to know what happened. Give me all the details.” She plopped onto the couch next to me and clutched my arm, her eyes wide and pleading.
“Nothing happened.” I shook her hand off and tried to rub the sleep from my eyes. “Amber helped with flower arrangements and left once we finished. Ridge wasn’t ready to go home yet so we turned on a movie.”
“You’re no fun,” Chloe huffed, sitting back. “You are my most likely friend to have a romance going, and all you did was fall asleep and wake up snuggling? I was hoping for at least a little lip action.”
I noted her high heels, skinny jeans, and sparkly shirt. “By the look of things, you’re more likely to have had some lip action. How was tonight’s date?”
“Not even List-worthy, but you’re changing the topic. I can’t believe all you did was take an accidental nap.”
Audrey stood in her door, a small smile lifting one corner of her mouth. “I wouldn’t say that was all. You two looked very cozy when I got home.”
“We took an accidental nap. It doesn’t mean anything,” I insisted, lifting a hand to my hair. My makeup was likely smudged, my hair tangled into a mess, and my face lined with creases. Not the most flattering picture in the world. “He’s dating Amber and heading back up to Idaho at the end of summer.”
“Idaho isn’t that far away, and maybe things with Amber aren’t that serious.” Chloe ignored my attempt to change the subject, reaching down to pull off her shoes.
Audrey joined us on the couch, forcing me to scoot over to make room for her. The living room light highlighted the absence of makeup, and I was struck by the contrast between her put-together self and the casual look she only let Chloe and me see. “Maybe not, but breaking up a relationship shouldn’t be a trivial thing. Be careful, Mal.”
“Slow down, no one said anything about breaking up a relationship.” I held up my hands in a placating gesture.
“Too many nights spentjustsnuggling and that’s exactly what will happen,” Audrey persisted. I could hear the pain in her voice and tried not to take it personally.
“Tonight was an accident. It won’t happen again.” As I spoke the words, my heart twisted, though whether in disappointment or embarrassment, I wasn’t sure.
“Won’t because you don’t want it to, or won’t because you’re a good person who would never dream of breaking up a relationship?” Audrey’s question gave me pause. My soft-spoken roommate cut straight to the heart.
I sighed and rested my head on the back of the couch.
“Forget about it. The wedding is in a few days, and after that, I’ll be free of Ridge and all this drama.” As I spoke, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted my words to be true. Already, I could feel another letter to him niggling in my brain, my fingers itching to put it to paper as soon as I was back in my room.
Dear Ridge,
Tonight, we snuggled. That sounds so juvenile and cheesy, but it’s what happened, and my high-school self is freaking out. It was accidental, so I’m not sure it counts. I was embarrassed when Chloe walked in on us; yet, I didn’t want it to end. You’re the only guy I’ve ever felt this comfortable around. Which is ridiculous. You broke my heart, and you probably make all the girls, especially Amber, feel this way. I can’t forget that. I won’t forget that. I won’t be responsible for another girl’s heartbreak.
Mal
CHAPTERNINETEEN
The next morning,I woke to several texts from Livvy. She apologized for the late response and gushed over how much she loved the flower arrangements. Conveniently, she forgot to mention anything about Ridge and how he’d shown up to be my assistant yesterday.
My stomach twisted at the thought of Ridge, guilt clouding my mind for a moment.What was I thinking, falling asleep on him? Why didn’t I just send him home?
Despite my attempts to go to sleep after my conversation with Chloe and Audrey, I couldn’t push Ridge and the sensations of being so close to him from my mind. If it hadn’t been so late, I would have avoided the thoughts with painting and other repairs on my home, but it wasn’t an option at 2:00 in the morning. Instead, I’d paced and written my thoughts in the notebook. When that hadn’t done the trick, I’d pulled out painters tape and prepped my bedroom ceiling and baseboards to paint later this week.
Luckily, today would involve limited Ridge time once he dropped me off at the mall. I needed distance from my high school dream guy and his welcoming arms. I also needed space from the revelation that his girlfriend’s family was actively trying to steal my home.
I used my extra morning time to finish taping off my bedroom, promising myself that I would use my evening to paint, before taking a shower. I took the time to really look good, blow drying my hair and applying makeup. I told myself I was doing it because I wanted to look nice while trying on dresses, but that didn’t change the fact that I thought about the ride with Ridge every time I changed my outfit.
My phone rang as I finished getting ready, Livvy’s picture filling the screen.
“I’m the worst!” Livvy said in leu of a greeting.
“Hello to you too.” I spoke slowly, a knot of dread starting to form in my stomach.
“I totally forgot that I’m supposed to meet some delivery guys at the new apartment. They’re dropping off the couch David and I bought.”
“But we’re going dress shopping.” I needed Livvy there. We’d been lucky with the flowers, that Livvy loved them so much, but I knew Livvy wouldn’t settle for just any bridesmaids’ dresses.
“I know, and believe me, if there were any other time they could deliver, I’d change it in a heartbeat, but it’s either today or two weeks from now. And I need to be here to make sure everything’s arranged just how I want it.” Livvy’s voice rose in pitch with each word.
