Page 59 of Unraveling the Truth About Love
Chapter Twenty-Six
RILEY SHIVERED AS she walked into Josh’s apartment. It was almost one o’clock in the morning and she was still a little light-headed from the alcohol. She’d sobered up a bit on the cab ride over, stewing about what could have happened and worrying about whether someone had caught wind of their relationship. Maybe that wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. Maybe it wouldbe for the best, especially after tonight. It would be easier to fess up to dating Josh right away to Mia and Simone rather than letting the lies linger between them.If someone found out, wouldn’t he have called me first?
She set her purse down on the table by the door, peeked into the empty living room and dining room, then headed for the kitchen, which was also empty. She walked quietly acrossthe hall to the master bedroom, hoping Josh was there. The bed was empty. She pulled off her heels and flopped onto the bed.
What on earth is going on?She smoothed the comforter, thinking about their lovemaking and smiling at the thought.Yes, maybe it would be for the best if our relationship was exposed.She hated sneaking around and lying, and although they weren’t being as careful outsideof work, she still felt like a thief on parole. She’d seen pictures of Josh in the rag mags over the years and on the cover of the larger publications when his career first began to flourish, and she remembered how her heart had skipped a beat, breathing new life into the crush she’d worked so hard to tamp down. Each time she’d catch sight of one of those articles, she’d buy the magazine and lookat it when she was alone at night. Then she’d force those feelings back into the confines of some well deep within her mind. Someplace where they wouldn’t render her unable to think straight, as they had when they’d reconnected. Maybe now he wasn’t quite as much of a reader draw as he once was. Maybe he was overreacting. After all, why would the media care if he was dating her? She was talking herselfin circles again. She knew the answer to the relentless question. It wasn’t the media he was worried about. If they took his picture, it would be happenstance, a space filler in some useless magazine in the About Town section. It was Claudia catching wind of that picture that worried him.
She slipped out of her clothes, hung them on a hanger to be taken to the cleaners, and ran a warm shower.She had to be at the show the next morning at seven thirty, and she’d get no sleep if she didn’t relax. She pushed away the unsettling feeling in her stomach, writing it off as too much alcohol, and stepped into the shower hoping Josh would come home and join her.
At one forty-five she climbed into bed, chewing on the possibilities that something worse had happened. With no additional texts fromJosh and knowing he’d texted nine-one-one to Mia and Simone, her stomach was doing somersaults.We have 2talk.
