Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 96(@200wpm)___ 77(@250wpm)___ 64(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 96(@200wpm)___ 77(@250wpm)___ 64(@300wpm)
“Which one is mine?” she asks softly and I hear her stomach growl.
“All of them.” I answer, surprised she didn’t realize that to begin with. “Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
“Jason, I can’t eat all these.” But I notice she pulls the stack closer to her.
“You need to. You’re losing weight.”
“How would you know?” She sounds offended again and it’s my turn to roll my eyes.
“Don’t ask stupid questions.”
“You’re so frustrating. You say the nicest things and then follow it up like that. Why are you so cryptic? Are you in the mob or something?”
For the first time in what feels like years I let out a loud belly laugh.
Chapter 3
Skyler
He’s crazy. That’s all I can think as we make the drive back towards my place. Or maybe I’m crazy because I’m not trying to get away. I’d rather take the ride than a cab or the subway, though. This is cheaper, but I’m not sure it’s any easier. My heart is still pounding from seeing him and now I’m alone with him in a confined space. Everything about Jason does it for me, including his bluntness.
I swear he cast a spell on me because once again I’m falling. There’s something about his touch that undoes me. I don’t understand it, but with the smallest brush of his fingers my whole body goes haywire and all I feel is a pulsing need to be closer to him. It’s both terrifying and exciting.
I think that's why my life felt so empty when he stopped talking to me. I was just living before him and every day was the same. I was in a boring routine and in a life, at one time, I thought I wanted. It’s why I moved to Chicago to begin with because I’d been let down too many times before. I thought being alone would make it so that couldn't happen anymore.
I wanted to live a normal small life with a fresh start and it was working until Jason came along. He brought something new and exciting to my life, but as quickly as it started he disappeared. Once again I was faced with the reality that I can’t lean on anyone.
His laugh fills the inside of the truck and warms my skin all over. I have to fight a smile and I remind myself I’m mad. I'm trying to wallow in my self-pity over here and I have to bite my lip to keep from grinning.
“Well? What do you expect? One day your offices are filled and now everything is just gone.” It was eerie when I showed up for work and was told we no longer needed to clean the top two floors and that the business was gone. I went up to steal a peek because I didn’t believe it. There was nothing left. I never go up there anymore because it’s filled with memories of Jason and I try to keep those away.
“Sometimes businesses go under, Sky.” His laugh fades away and a long sigh takes its place.
“I’m sorry,” I admit. It isn't uncommon. I’ve been cleaning the building for some time now and I’ve seen several come and go. Some businesses go under and others move. I wasn't sure where Jason’s went, but I convinced myself he wanted to be so far from me that he moved his office. I know it’s a silly thought, but it’s what cemented in my brain. Years of my parents keeping their distance from me left its mark.
I feel bad that he lost it all; why couldn't he have shared that with me? To be honest I don’t even know what it was he did because all the offices look the same. The only real difference to Jason’s was the scent. It always smelled like him. It was like warm maple syrup and it made my mouth water. Before I met him I liked it, and then even more once I got to put a face to the scent. I know it’s crazy, but I was addicted to it before I ever met him and I thought maybe we were meant to be or some crap because of it. I guess he and I aren’t so different after all, but at least I’m not two-faced, because he clearly is. He goes from hot to cold in a flash and one second he won’t let me go then the next he can’t get away from me fast enough.
“I’m fixing it.” He shrugs and doesn’t elaborate.
I’m almost thankful for his short response because it reminds me of reality. We may have only spent a small amount of time together, but there was something between us and it was big. I can feel it all around us even now in the cab of the truck, but his hot and cold isn't going to work for me. I was finally starting to get over him, but even as I think that, I know it isn’t true. I might have been able to get over him one day, but this is a major setback.