Page 64 of Entangled
Had she realized she enjoyed bringing him pain, and didn’t like that side of herself?
These questions and what ifs plagued me, and I didn’t feel I’d ever get the answer to them. If she didn’t talk to me, how would I know?
ME
I hope you’re doing alright.
I hope you’re safe.
I miss you.
Every text I sent to her remained unanswered and I couldn’t stop thinking of worst-case scenarios. Although it was incredibly likely that she had blocked my number as soon as she’d left. I knew she could take care of herself, but fuck if her safety wasn’t the thing that kept me up at night.
Without her usual witty banter keeping me company, what else did I have to do but sulk, which is exactly what I’d been doing the past week.
I’d stayed camped out on the couch in the living room, takeout containers and empty beer bottles littering the coffee table, and empty bottles of all the aged bourbon I’d saved up for a special occasion on the floor. I couldn’t remember the last time I showered or shaved, let alone left my house.
I also couldn’t remember the last time my brothers had left me the fuck alone. Even Maverick had been blowing up my phone, which was unusual enough as it was. I left it on for the first couple days, hoping they’d all get the hint, and secretly hoping to hear from Soren, but eventually I’d had to turn my phone off just to get some peace.
I’d even given Astrid time off, paid and indefinitely. I wanted to be holed up for as long as it took to get Soren off of my mind and out of my heart.
And I wanted to do it in misery.
She was the best thing to happen to me. I felt like getting up each day was chasing something that I could never have. I was chasing a temporary happiness. It was as if I was putting a bandaid on the gaping hole where my heart used to be.
I wanted to roll my eyes at myself for being so dramatic, but I didn’t even have the energy to do that.
A knock sounded at the front door, and I made no sudden move to get up from my face down position on the couch.
I thought I had made it pretty obvious that I had no intention of leaving this house. Someone hadn’t gotten thememo apparently, and that much was clear when they continued to pound on my door relentlessly.
“Fuck off!” I barked, doing nothing to help the throbbing in my head.
“You’d do best to watch how you speak to your mother, Kade Andrew Luchetti!”
Fuck.
I flinched and groaned as I pushed myself to a standing position and made my way to my front door. Leave it to my mother to whip out my middle name when she was pissed off and standing at my doorstep.
“Mother,” I greeted in a mumble as I opened the door and got a full on look at the fuming woman who’d given me life.
“Son,” she replied, pushing past me into my house. “You look like shit. Where is Astrid? This place looks like a pigsty.”
I hung my head and closed the door as she inspected the house. Leave it to my mother to come in and kick a man when he’s down within two seconds of being here.
“Yes please, come in and tear my already fragile ego to shreds,” I mumbled.
“You have no reason for your ego to be bruised, Kade,” she snapped as she spun around, looking still thoroughly pissed off.
“What are you talking about?” I questioned, utterly confused by her statement.
“You have no reason for a bruised ego.Youlet Soren walk away. She didn’t leave you. I saw the way that girl looked at you, you fool.”
I felt the muscle twitch in my jaw as I clenched it in anger.
“As much as I love our chats, Mother, I think it’s best you leave,” I gestured to the door.
“I just got here, and I haven’t said what I came to say yet,” she replied, making herself comfy on the couch I’d just been wallowing on.
