Page 99 of The Casualty of Us
“Ugh.” I smack his hand away, and he laughs as Zoe passes the box of croissants over.
Allowing me to step back from them both and steal a moment to type back quickly.
Miss you too, Dimples.
Everything in me aches to still be back in my room with him the night before I left school while pressing send. The entire summer I was supposed to have to unravel my feelings surrounding him being shot dead on arrival.
The little bubbles pop up, and an instant later another message sits there.
Stop scowling.
I blink at it, my face twitching before it clears with the realization I’m doing just that, and another one appears.
Now.
A soft laugh escapes past my lips, and I quickly shoot back.
Never.
Shoving the phone back into my pocket and looking up just as Talan turns back, his eyes landing on me as he calls out, “You coming?”
“Yeah.” I nod, walking to the door where he’s waiting for me and quipping, “So, same time tomorrow work for you?”
“Ha,” he snarks, eyes dropping to the box in his hands longingly. “Who knows? Maybe the croissants are poisoned and I’ll be dead by then.”
I almost saya girl can dream…almost, but some part of me that doesn’t actually want him to die just sighs. “Let’s hope not, because I’m eating them too.”
He gasps. “Is that self-preservation I hear, Ms. Fitzroy?”
My phone buzzes in my pocket again, and I almost miss the first step leading up to the sidewalk before clenching my drink a little more tightly to stop from reaching for it. Leaving the conversation unfinished, just like I have all summer, to stop from telling him about any of this.
Not even Ollie has crossed that line with me yet.
I just don’t know how to say it to him. That the nightmare that was supposed to be over is taking place for me in full color now. That all I want to do is lash out.
To give this anger twisting right behind my chest a target.
But I can’t—am left with it exploding out in little bursts at any random passerby instead of the person truly responsible for it. And now the one person I thought I would always be able to count on seems farther away than ever, and the other person I’m just beginning to trust again is eight hours ahead and an entire reality shift away from me.
We pass by the postal shop on the way back to where our black Suburban is idling by the curb, and I flick my eyes to where the orderly little PO boxes line the outside wall. The sight of them makes my stomach drop suddenly, and I quickly swallow down that sick feeling while jerking my gaze away from them. Reminding myself for the millionth time as I get into the car under Mia’s watchful gaze that it’s better this way anyway. That they’re safer.
Because in his mind, it’s a game for two, which means they’re both obstacles here. Obstacles that would stand in his way ifallowed to and disposable ones to him at that. I knew it the second I realized it.
Rosemary for remembrance.
Hide-and-seek, ready or not…because I’m the only non-disposable one to him here.
Game on, motherfucker.
Can’t wait to show you just how much I’ve missed you too.
Chapter Twenty-Three
OPHELIA - AUGUST 2013
“You know,”I sigh, squeezing my arms around his neck. “I’ve actually missed you.”
Graham chuckles, giving me a tight hug before stepping back with his signature smirk in place. “I’ll try not to be too insulted by the tone of surprise there.”
