Page 68 of Come Apart
Chapter Eleven
Icall Alyssa as soon as I get back to the hotel.
She's not going to be happy I'm staying with Samantha longer than expected.
She picks up after the first ring.
"Hey!"
She sounds happy and bright.
Makes me not want to say what I have to say even more.
"Hey yourself." I pull the curtains open to let some light into the dull room.
"Are you exhausted from saving the world?" she asks.
I smile slightly.
"I manage."
She chuckles.
"Did you sleep last night?"
"Mhmm. Someone wore me out."
She clears her throat. "Oh. Well, that's good. It's good to sleep." She's nervous, almost stuttering. She takes a deep breath. "What is it like spending the afternoon with your ex? That's a lot of baggage to deal with."
I lean my forehead against the wall.
"Me, baggage? That's ridiculous. I've never even held a grudge."
She laughs. "Uh-huh."
"Not even once."
"Then what do you call your deep and abiding hatred of Ryan?" She says it so cockily, like she knows she's right, knows she's got me.
I'll be able to kiss the smug look off her face soon enough.
"That's nothing. A little hostility towards a coworker."
Understatement of the century.
"And him being my ex-boyfriend has nothing to do with it?"
"Not a thing." I press the phone into my ear. "Him hurting you... that might have something to do with it."
"But it's not a grudge," she reiterates.
"Exactly."
She laughs like she thinks I'm ridiculous. "How is Samantha?"
It's still bright outside. It's barely late afternoon. The windows are flooding the room with light, bringing a bit of life to the drab, beige room. "Not as well as I would hope."
"Oh." The joy in Alyssa's voice is gone. She's trying to hide her disappointment, but it's clear as day.
