3."
There was another pregnant pause. "O-kay…," Rhiannon drawled slowly.
"What?" I didn't like the uncertainty in Rhi's tone.
"Well Lilly…," she sighed. "I don't want to upset you or sound like a bitch, but take it from me they all have to work the next morning; they all leave a note."
Comprehension dawned on me. "You don't think he's coming back?" I sounded accusatory.
"Well, it's possible he might," Rhi offered quickly. "But honey, I think you need to be prepared for the possibility that he might not. Did he leave a number?"
"No," I admitted, feeling small. I didn't even know which restaurant he worked at, never mind his last name. "I've got to go," I Mumbled.
"Lilly, sweetheart," Rhi crooned. "It's okay. You can't take this personally. You got what you wanted and he… well… I guess he got the same thing. Trust me honey, that's how this game is played. You can't get your hopes up over these things. Now you have a good story to tell at Girls' Night; I'm proud of you for thinking outside your usual box. You did have fun last night, right?"
"Yes," I said softly. My stomach was turning in somersaults and it had nothing to do with the beer I'd consumed the night before. For an instant I hated Rhiannon; this had been her idea. I'd approached Adam at her urging and it was her damn fault.
"Just take a nice long shower, have a cup of coffee, and take it easy today," Rhi offered brightly. "I'll call you later and maybe we can go shopping or something."
I agreed automatically, feeling a wave of shame wash sickeningly over me. I hung up as Rhiannon was saying goodbye and had to sit down until the dizziness passed.
She was right, of course. Rhiannon had had a million one-night-stands, she knew the protocol; I knew nothing about it and had been taken for a fool. I buried my head in my hands, ignoring the cold spread of my still-damp hair against my neck. Stupid , that's what I was. Stupid for thinking last night meant anything, stupid for believing every word that came out of Adam's mouth. Stupid for thinking there had been a connection between us when all it had been was a hook-up, plain and simple.
The phone rang again, making me jump. I stared blankly at it and let it ring until the answering machine picked up and Adele's cheerful voice filled the room. I didn't hear what she said, didn't particularly care; it wasn't him calling.
I put on a pot of coffee, got dressed, and performed the many little pieces of my morning routine which needed to be done with a robot-like efficiency which frightened me if I thought too hard about it.
I floated through the apartment unseeingly before settling down on my window seat with my coffee to watch the traffic trickle by. Lucy Maud, my cat, jumped up and curled herself comfortingly around my feet and the two of us watched the morning in silence. I was tired, my thighs ached, and I was maybe a tiny bit hungover, but more than that I was heartsore. Outside, two robins flirted and sang on a tree branch; inside, I tried to block out their happy noise.
I don't know how long I sat there and I don't know how time still managed to creep by; I do know I ignored the phone ringing a few more times, I didn't want to talk to Rhi or Adele. Eventually I drifted off to a fitful, half-conscious sleep, only to be woken by a sharp rap on my door. I jumped up, disturbing Lucy Maud and spilling my now cold coffee. The clock read 2:36 and I figured it was Rhiannon or Adele coming to check up on me since I hadn't answered the phone at all.
I wrenched open the door without checking the peephole and just about fell over when it opened to reveal Adam standing on my small porch with a bunch of daisies in one hand and a motorcycle helmet in the other.
"Hey, Beautiful," he said with a smile. He brushed past me into my kitchen, dropped a soft kiss on my cheek, and handed me the daisies. "Did you have a good sleep?"
I stood open-mouthed
There was another pregnant pause. "O-kay…," Rhiannon drawled slowly.
"What?" I didn't like the uncertainty in Rhi's tone.
"Well Lilly…," she sighed. "I don't want to upset you or sound like a bitch, but take it from me they all have to work the next morning; they all leave a note."
Comprehension dawned on me. "You don't think he's coming back?" I sounded accusatory.
"Well, it's possible he might," Rhi offered quickly. "But honey, I think you need to be prepared for the possibility that he might not. Did he leave a number?"
"No," I admitted, feeling small. I didn't even know which restaurant he worked at, never mind his last name. "I've got to go," I Mumbled.
"Lilly, sweetheart," Rhi crooned. "It's okay. You can't take this personally. You got what you wanted and he… well… I guess he got the same thing. Trust me honey, that's how this game is played. You can't get your hopes up over these things. Now you have a good story to tell at Girls' Night; I'm proud of you for thinking outside your usual box. You did have fun last night, right?"
"Yes," I said softly. My stomach was turning in somersaults and it had nothing to do with the beer I'd consumed the night before. For an instant I hated Rhiannon; this had been her idea. I'd approached Adam at her urging and it was her damn fault.
"Just take a nice long shower, have a cup of coffee, and take it easy today," Rhi offered brightly. "I'll call you later and maybe we can go shopping or something."
I agreed automatically, feeling a wave of shame wash sickeningly over me. I hung up as Rhiannon was saying goodbye and had to sit down until the dizziness passed.
She was right, of course. Rhiannon had had a million one-night-stands, she knew the protocol; I knew nothing about it and had been taken for a fool. I buried my head in my hands, ignoring the cold spread of my still-damp hair against my neck. Stupid , that's what I was. Stupid for thinking last night meant anything, stupid for believing every word that came out of Adam's mouth. Stupid for thinking there had been a connection between us when all it had been was a hook-up, plain and simple.
The phone rang again, making me jump. I stared blankly at it and let it ring until the answering machine picked up and Adele's cheerful voice filled the room. I didn't hear what she said, didn't particularly care; it wasn't him calling.
I put on a pot of coffee, got dressed, and performed the many little pieces of my morning routine which needed to be done with a robot-like efficiency which frightened me if I thought too hard about it.
I floated through the apartment unseeingly before settling down on my window seat with my coffee to watch the traffic trickle by. Lucy Maud, my cat, jumped up and curled herself comfortingly around my feet and the two of us watched the morning in silence. I was tired, my thighs ached, and I was maybe a tiny bit hungover, but more than that I was heartsore. Outside, two robins flirted and sang on a tree branch; inside, I tried to block out their happy noise.
I don't know how long I sat there and I don't know how time still managed to creep by; I do know I ignored the phone ringing a few more times, I didn't want to talk to Rhi or Adele. Eventually I drifted off to a fitful, half-conscious sleep, only to be woken by a sharp rap on my door. I jumped up, disturbing Lucy Maud and spilling my now cold coffee. The clock read 2:36 and I figured it was Rhiannon or Adele coming to check up on me since I hadn't answered the phone at all.
I wrenched open the door without checking the peephole and just about fell over when it opened to reveal Adam standing on my small porch with a bunch of daisies in one hand and a motorcycle helmet in the other.
"Hey, Beautiful," he said with a smile. He brushed past me into my kitchen, dropped a soft kiss on my cheek, and handed me the daisies. "Did you have a good sleep?"
I stood open-mouthed
Similar Books
Strawberry Summer
Cynthia Blair
Dragonlance 09 - Dragons of the Hourglass Mage
Margaret Weis
Healing Fire
Sean Michael
Falling From Disgrace
L Maretta
Oath of Fealty
Elizabeth Moon
My Life Among the Apes
Cary Fagan
Seldom Seen in August
Kealan Patrick Burke
The Canterbury Murders
Maureen Ash
No Way to Say Goodbye
Anna McPartlin