Page 17 of Beautiful Envy

Just do it and get it over with. Then you’ll know.

I didn’t have time to ponder my conversation with myself as the door opened, a blurry-eyed Cowboy standing before me.

He wore only a pair of boxers, leaving his body on display—a body I was very familiar with. I gasped, knowing unequivocally that it was him. My Cowboy.

The sound made him blink, his eyes opening wider. When he realized it was me at the door, he pulled it more in front of him. I’d forgotten how shy he said he was with girls.

“Um, hi. Did you need something?” he asked, looking at me curiously.

I didn’t think, unable to hold it in any longer. So I ripped the bandage off, diving in head-on.

“Cowboy, it’s me. It’s—”

“Rose?” he asked, his eyes wide.

He opened the door for a second, and I worried he was about to close it in my face when his arm reached out and pulled me into the dark room. His hands touched my shoulder lightly like he was afraid to do so.

“Is it really you, Rose? I thought….” He shook his head. “One sec. I can’t talk with you while I’m practically naked.” His hands dropped off my shoulders as he moved to grab something

“That’s funny since it was usually the only way we did talk.”

He chuckled but continued on his search for something. I heard him pulling a shirt over his head, and a second later, a small light turned on.

“Come here and sit. I have so many questions.”

I did as he asked, sitting on the corner of his bed. He sat further up but reached out to grab my hand. He was hesitant and shy but seemed to push past it, desperate to touch me, to make sure I was real.

I understood because I felt the same.

“How? What happened? I… yeah, I don’t know what to ask.” He chuckled, the sound so familiar to me that it warmed my insides.

“Each of those questions have different answers, so I guess I’ll start with what happened. Do you remember Candie? The one who introduced me to the site?”

He nodded, his thumb running across my fingers.

“Well, she started seeing one of her clients in real life, and they found out. In the process, everyone was locked out. There were some minors or something too, and the site got the attention of the FBI. I was so mad at myself that I hadn’t worked out another way to contact you. I hated that I didn’t get to tell you or say goodbye. You were one of the best parts of the whole thing.”

He smiled, and my heart jumped in my chest. It was odd putting the voice and body to his face now. It was like there were two beings, and I had to merge them together.

“I don’t know what that says about me that I like hearing that.”

“I think it just means we made a real connection. You always said you wished we could meet in real life… Well, here we are.”

“Here we are,” he said softly before his nose scrunched. “But how?”

I sighed, not sure how much I wanted to share. “Do you know Lennox?” I asked, figuring I could start there.

“Yeah. She works with Waylon.”

“Who?” I asked, momentarily stunned.

“You know, big bald ginger down the hall?”

“Bubba?” I asked, a smile spreading across my face. Cowboy nodded.

“Yeah, that’s his road name. Waylon’s his real name. That’s what I call him.”

“I like it. I can’t wait to call him that.” I snickered, loving that I found another button.

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