Page 56 of Release Me

“Night,” I reply just as my phone buzzes with a text.

Zoey: Ok, now I really wish I was coming over.

Me: You still can.

Zoey: ? Del is awake still…might be too hard.

Exhaling, I unlock my house and quiet the alarm, the silence of my huge, empty house practically deafening.

Me: I get that. Night, Zo, sleep well.

Zoey: You too.

Chapter20

Zoey

“How was your trip?” Delaney asks, her voice quiet as she sits on the couch, the TV volume low, Alex asleep, his head resting in her lap. Her fingers are absentmindedly running through his hair as she looks over at me.

“It was good,” I whisper back, not wanting to wake Alex. “I’m tired and happy to be home.” This comes out as if it’s true when I know it isn’t. I’d rather be with Ethan, but I can’t tell Delaney this, even if I want to.

I hate keeping this from her, but for now, it’s better. It makes it easier for Ethan and I to figure out what this is between us without outside opinions. Not that Delaney would have an opinion. If anything, she’d probably be really excited for me.

I walk toward my bedroom, toting my suitcase behind me, leaving it on the floor and heading back out to join Delaney in the living room.

Flopping down on the opposite end of the couch from Delaney, I let out a yawn, and she smirks at me.

“Busy trip?” she questions, the smile still plastered on her face. I’m sure she has an idea of what went on and I wonder if she’s going to come right out and ask me.

“Yeah, the conference was tons of networking and meeting people. Ethan was the keynote speaker, so that was pretty cool,” I tell her, glossing over his name like I say it all the time.

“He really is a badass,” she comments back. “How was Seattle? Where did you stay?”

“Turns out Ethan has a condo there. It’s amazing, but I stayed at the hotel where the conference was held,” I quickly add. “We went by to see his place and then I just did some touristy shit on my own.”

The lies spill from my lips like I’m meant to say them, like if I say them enough, I can will them to be true.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what his condo looks like since his house here is basically a mansion,” Delaney says just as Alex shifts, turning so he’s now facing her.

“Did you ask Ethan where he got the sweater?” Alex mumbles, making Delaney and I both laugh.

“Ask him yourself,” Delaney quips back, swatting him on the ass as he rolls over again, getting up from the couch.

“I’m going to bed,” Alex says, leaning down to kiss Delaney, whispering something to her that makes her face light up. “Night, Zoey. Ask Ethan tomorrow, okay?” he jokes as he walks by me, dropping a kiss on the top of my head.

“Will do, Alex.”

We both wait for Alex to disappear into the bedroom before we continue talking. No clue why we both fall silent. It’s not like we don’t talk in front of Alex every day. He lives here with us and has grown to tolerate our bullshit, just like we’ve grown to tolerate his. I think Delaney actually loves his bullshit even if it’s what she claims she hated about him when they first met.

“I’d love to go back to Seattle with you and we could do some wineries and tourist shit. See the Space Needle,” I tell Delaney. “Ethan even offered up his place.”

“I’d love to. We should set it up for next month when things start to slow down with the start of the off season,” Delaney responds.

A silence falls over us, but it’s not awkward. It’s almost like she knows something is different. I feel different. I feel happy and sated, but I also feel like I can’t wait to see Ethan again. Being away from him after spending the weekend together is harder than I thought.

He consumes my thoughts, making me wonder what he’s doing right now. Is he thinking about me? Is he sitting down with a glass of wine and his computer to catch up on the work he missed? It’s the first time I’ve seen him take a break from his job, spending the entire weekend with me. That speaks volumes about how he feels about me, how he feels about us.

“How did you and Ethan get along?” Delaney now asks, breaking the silence.

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