Page 59 of Show Me How to Heal
Because we needed to talk.
My chest tightened as my mind drifted off, thinking about the heavy conversation that lay ahead of me.
I couldn’t do this any longer. These lies by omission. Telling him half-truths. Evading questions. Not being able to tell him much about the past twelve years.
It hurt.
It hurt so fucking much.
“We’re doing this today, Sammy,” I told him, and he yipped at me as if he knew exactly what I was talking about, though he had no idea. He just knew I was an anxious mess that needed someone — aka him — to cuddle against my leg, rubbing his head against my knee to remind me he was there.
“It’s okay,” I told him, tearing up a little. He’d started doing this — rubbing up against me whenever I felt anxious or nervous or was getting lost in thoughts about my ruined career — about a week ago. At first I’d thought it was a coincidence. Then he’d done it again. And again. And again. Going as far as to nudge me with his head if I didn’t react to him and snap out of it.
We stepped into Addy’s, and Kathy waved at me with a big smile that got even bigger when she saw Sammy.
“Your order’s almost ready,” she told me when she passed me, heading straight for a table Corbyn sat at. I contemplated going over and saying hi since I really liked him. But I also didn’t want to interrupt him and his meal.
Then he looked up and smiled at me. “Hey, Luke, long time no see,” he said, urging me with a hand to come over. I tightened my grip on Sammy’s leash since Corbyn had a plate full of bacon in front of him, and I’d already learned the hard way that Sammy was really fast if food was on the table — literally speaking.
“Hi,” I greeted with a nod. “What’s up?”
“Ah, same old, same old,” he said with a smile. “This time I have to pick out wallpapers.”
“What the fuck? I thought you were flipping furniture for a living. Did you change jobs?”
Corbyn snorted. “I wish. My mom saw what a great job I did with Mel’s place, so now she wants a new living room, too.” He rolled his eyes in a good-hearted manner. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
“You’re gonna invite me on a date to the hardware store?” I joked. “Sorry, but I’m already in a relationship.”
Corbyn grinned. “Let me guess… your boyfriend is a hippie with very long hair,andmy sister happens to be a little obsessed with him.”
“You got it in one.” Sammy whined next to me, turning his best pleading glaze towards Corbyn.
“Cool. Bring him over when we’re meeting at The Bar next time. I was thinking of bringing a new friend of mine, too. Let’s shake things up a bit, broaden our friendship horizon.”
“Sounds good. I’ll definitely bring him.”If I still have a boyfriend after today, a little voice inside my head said, and my heart plummeted. Right. I was going to tell Zayne about all the little things I left out here and there.
“And bring your puppy,” Corbyn said, smiling at Sammy and reaching for his bacon.
“Nope,” I interjected. “He’s cute, but he’s already spoiled. No food from the table.”
Corbyn sighed, but his hand stopped hovering directly above the bacon. He turned to me with a pout on his face. “You’re a big old grumpy meanie!”
“And you’re behaving like a toddler.”
That just made him laugh, which in turn made me laugh.
“Not to interrupt anything, but your order’s ready,” Kathy said, handing me two big plastic bags with various containers. “There’s some dessert, too. When I told Adam it’s for you and Zayne, he insisted on adding it.”
“Please thank him for me,” I told her before fumbling a little to get my wallet out of my pocket to hand Kathy a wad of cash.
Afterward I said goodbye to Corbyn, promising I’d bring Zayne to The Bar next week, and leaving to head over to Zayne.
“Wow,” Zayne said when I set the heavy bags on his dining room table with a heavy thud. “Did you invite someone else over?”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “No. Apparently, Adam added dessert for us, and the rest… I wanted you to have options.”
Zayne’s eyes flared, and his gaze turned heated. He was on me with three steps, pushing me backward against the wall, pressing his mouth to mine. I sighed, gripping his hips and pulling him closer. Fuck. This was so good. His lips were soft, warm, and just the right amount of pliant beneath mine, and his tongue… Electric sparks ran through my body as he licked over my lips, begging me to open up and allow him entrance.
