Page 21 of The Young & the Sinner

I let out a sigh, knowing I shouldn’t have said anything. Now I offended him. I didn’t even know why I was feeling so defensive.

Maybe because I was home.

Or that no matter how many times I told myself being home would resolve everything, I still felt restless.

Or maybe because of her.

Of going back to New York and seeing her again after all these years.

The ex-girlfriend I had left behind in Chicago all these years. And then she followed me to New York and I didn’t know what to do with her.

She threw me off balance for no other reason than because of these feelings she brought out me.

Unpleasant feelings at that.

“Forget I said anything. It’s been a long day, and I’m not thinking straight.”

“Right.” He shook his head and changed the subject. “How does it feel being back home again?”

“I don’t know. I’ll tell you when I figure it out.”

Max smiled a little at that. “Well, Chicago missed you.”

Translation: Max missed me.

I cleared my throat and looked away. “I missed Chicago, too.”

We clinked glasses and took another sip, each of us lost in thought. I didn’t know what Max was thinking about, and honestly, I didn’t want to know.

As for me, my mind was working a million miles a minute. It all led back to the doe-eyed girl sleeping just upstairs, completely unaware of the monsters that lurk in the darkest corners of the world.

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