Morning Glory - A Novelette Read Online Free PDF

we both live there. He tosses his keys on the entryway table, just like I do, before taking his shoes off. I go into my bedroom to change clothes, and he follows right behind and heads for his drawer. His drawer. Why does he have a drawer here?
    “You. Alejandro.” I say, not making any sense as I slip out of my dress.
    He stops and turns to me.
    “Me and Alejandro what?” he asks.
    He takes off his shirt and starts on his pants.
    “Wait!” I say. He freezes. “What are you doing?”
    “I’m changing clothes. What does it look like I’m doing?”
    “Changing clothes, but why? How?”
    He looks around the room as if he’s trying to interpret my words into some sensible order.
    “You have a drawer but Alejandro didn’t.”
    He shrugs. “He rarely stayed over.”
    “I know. Are you?” I hope I’m sounding clearer than the alcohol makes me feel.
    “I was going to crash on the couch. It’s late. Are you all right?”
    “I don’t know.” I grab my robe and put it on , suddenly feeling very exposed. “What did Alejandro say, and what did you say back?”
    “What does it matter?”
    “It matters to me.”
    He stares at me before he finally says, “Not much. Don’t worry about it.”
    He knows I don’t speak Spanish. I walk closer, gripping my robe closed. “No, I want to know. I need to.”
    When he s hakes his head, it ’s obvious he doesn’t want to share the information, but I know he will. He doesn’t like to lie or keep things from me. “He asked if I’m fucking you.”
    I’m taken aback by this. “Why would he ask that?”
    He comes closer and looks me straight in the eyes. “I don’t know, Hayley. Why do you think he asked me that?”
    This feels like a trick question, so I turn the conversation around and steer it back on course. “What did you say to him?”
    “I told him to stay away from you.”
    “And?”
    He laughs, knowing I’m on to him. “Or, I’d kick his ass.”
    I don’t know why this surprises me, but it does, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. “Did you say that for my benefit or yours?”
    “Both.” No hesitation in that response. “You know I can’t stand that asshole. What’s going on with you?”
    I sit on the bed and run his words through my head. “Why would he care? We hadn’t had sex in months.” A second too late, I realize I just confessed I hadn’t been having sex with my boyfriend. Now humiliation fills me, and I drop my head into my hands.
    After hearing a sympathetic sigh, I feel the bed dip next to me and a strong arm wrap around my back.
    I can’t look at Nick right now, so I talk into my hands. “Please don’t say anything about it. I know we weren’t good for each other. Alejandro and I were terrible together. Just, please no lectures, all right?”
    “I haven’t had sex in six months.”
    I look up and straight into the most trusting and wonderful eyes. “You haven’t?”
    “No.”
    “Why not?”
    He looks down at his lap. “It didn’t feel right, so I didn’t.” He chuckles under his breath. “It’s not like I didn’t want to. Trust me, I did.”
    That’s when I recognize it—his sweet smile, his funny lines, and his sincere eyes. He’s the problem. I’m the problem. This. Us. The lines are all blurred, and I’ve drunk too much. I take a deep breath then say, “You need to go home.”
    He shakes his head in confusion.
    I nod and stand then pace in front of him. “This. This between us—it’s right and it’s wrong at the same time. You’re here with your clothes neatly folded in a drawer that my boyfriend should have had all along. We undress in front of each other like we’ve dated for years.” I hold my hand against my forehead. “Maybe that’s what we’ve been doing all of these years. Maybe this is why all of our other relationships are so screwed up and never last. Maybe we’ve been dating each other without even realizing it.”
    “What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any