Page 12 of Afterglow
Luck? Who’s she?
“Sure, bud. Whatever you say.”
“Alright, well, don’t be mad when she ends up with someone else.”
My teeth grated together. I felt sick to my stomach. Every time I saw other men talk to her, make her laugh, touch her, dance with her, I thought my head would explode from jealousy. I had no right to be, but it didn’t matter.
Wade must’ve noticed the red crawling up my cheeks.
“Ugh, fine. Be that way. Sor-ry if I wanna see my friend happily getting laid.”
“Pervert,” I deflected, “you’d enjoy seeing that wouldn’t you?”
His hands lifted in an exasperated shrug. “I’m only a man.”
“Oh-kay…anyway, I’ve got to be going now. Y’know, these books aren’t going to read themselves. Have fun in Florida. Don’t touch the dinosaurs.”
“You’re welcome to join anytime. We can go hit a few golf balls…”
No, thank you. The last time the team went down to his place in Fort Lauderdale, I got burned to a crisp. My skin peeled for weeks.
“I’ll let you know.”
A text notification flashes on screen, pulling me back to the moment.
Twinny
You don’t have to listen to Parker, you know
Twinny
You can still come home
Me
I know, Mills
Me
I just don’t feel like it right now
Twinny
Valid
Twinny
Seriously, come whenever. We miss you.
Me
Thanks
I wander down the footpath through the speckled shade from old trees lining the waterfront. My slow pace has dog walkers, joggers, and cyclists passing me every couple of minutes.
The breeze off the canal makes it feel cooler than it is, and I shiver, sweaty t-shirt still damp from the short 5k run.
A bike bell rings in the distance, contrasting with the rustle of the brown paper bag holding the newest additions to my book collection and the crackle of ice in my coffee. In the distance, a Behraz-shaped figure whizzes along the path.
