Page 106 of Twist of Fate
God, it was fun.
Dancing with those girls made me feel free, and it was exactly what I needed on a day I fully expected to suck. After stepping off the stage and going outside to cool down, I made the mistake of picking up my phone.
And that’s why my exceptional mood turned sour.
Theo had seen the photo of Finn and me, and he’d sent a few texts.
Twenty-seven to be exact. That was the shit show waiting for me as I stepped into the chilly Irish night.
His mood went from accusatory to hostile.
Theo
Are you trying to get even, Ash?
Real mature on our wedding day.
Is this the real reason you went to Ireland? Are you seeing this guy?
When he didn’t get a response, he switched tactics and tried to apologize and appeal to my better nature.
I’m sorry, baby. I know you wouldn’t do that. I just miss you so much.
Being so far away from you is driving me insane.
Please call me. I need to hear your voice.
Then, he went right back to being downright mean.
Why are you ignoring me, Ash? Stop being such a bitch.”
It’s exhausting. He is exhausting, and hours later, I am still pissed.
Because honestly, where the fuck does he get off?
Knowing he wouldn’t stop texting me until I replied, I just put my phone in Airplane Mode and went to sleep.
Or tried to.
Right now, I’m sitting at the back of the bus, irritable and in desperate need of caffeine.
“Hey, Ash!” Clint says with way too much enthusiasm. At least someone got their coffee today. I was running so late that I barely had time to grab a muffin before rushing out to catch the bus. “You gonna kiss the Blarney Stone today?”
“Uh, I haven’t really given it much thought if I’m being honest,” I reply with a somewhat forced smile. Since I enjoyed the thrill of not knowing where we were headed, I didn’t even know Blarney Castle was on the itinerary until Finn passed around the schedule for today.
“You definitely should,” he tells me as we take our seats. While Mom and I sort out the logistics of finding seat belts and stowing our stuff, he pops his head up, rests his arms on the back of my headrest, and keeps talking. “You climb a bunch of stairs to the very top, and then they sort of slide you to the edge so you can reach it. I’ve watched a ton of videos. If you look up from the ground, you can totally see people’s heads just dangling off the side!”
That actually sounds like my worst nightmare.
“Wow.” I force another smile. “You sound excited!”
“I don’t actually care much about the stone. I just want the thrill.”
“Sure, sure.”
I hear my mom snort, and I jerk my head to the side. She’s trying—and failing—to mask the sound with a cough. I shake my head, pressing my lips together as I try to hold back my laughter.
Stop, I mouth.
