Sail (Wake #2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

answered.
    “Hey,” she replied. Her voice was low and thick with sleep. It wasn’t late, but if she hadn’t slept since 2009 it was way past my girl’s bedtime.
    “How are you still awake? It’s almost ten.”
    “I don’t know. I wanted to tell you goodnight. You said you missed me.” I heard a rustling and I pictured her lying on her side, pulling the covers up over herself and preparing to pass out.
    “You could have just texted me goodnight,” I said, but I was more than happy to hear her instead.
    “Since you missed me, I thought calling would help.” She sounded hesitant, but hopeful.
    Hearing her on the other end of the line reassured me it was real. It wasn’t just a fantasy. Somehow she knew I’d needed that. Her voice always sunk to the deepest parts of me and filled every crack with her sweet timbre. When had I become such a pussy?
    “It does, honeybee. Thank you.”
    “I was serious. I’m in this. I want to make you feel good more than bad from now on.” She yawned. It sounded exaggerated, but it probably wasn’t.
    “We’ll get there,” I assured her, yawning too.
    “And maybe I wanted to hear your voice.”
    My eyes closed the same way they would if I’d taken a long drink of a new beer and it was better than I’d imagined. I savored it.
    “I hope you want to hear it tomorrow, too.”
    “I will. I always will,” she said and the faintest hum vibrated over the line.
    “Goodnight, Blake.”
    “Goodnight, Casey.”
    I lay in my bed staring at the ceiling in the dark with only the light from my phone lighting the room. I wasn’t content, but I was close. Maybe there wouldn’t be any more absences. No more days without calling. Without texts. Without communication.
    Maybe it was the end. Or better yet. Maybe it was the beginning.
    It had been right to tell her I loved her. Right to tell her I missed her. Right to tell I want her. Us.
    Finally.

Saturday, January 2, 2010
    I WOKE UP FEELING like the world was spinning in the same direction as I was. It was the beginning of me taking back control of the steering wheel of my life. And knowing that win, lose, or draw, I was going to make the decisions for myself and what I wanted.
    Stretching my arms and legs, I felt rested and surprisingly fantastic, considering the shit of a day I knew I might have in front of me. My phone fell on the floor, and it reminded me I’d fallen asleep after talking to Casey. And while my body woke up, my mind informed me of the plans and decisions it had made for me while I slept peacefully, dreaming of big brown curls in my face and his sweet, warm breath in my ear.
    It felt like a Sunday even though it was only Saturday. Middle of the week holidays always screwed with me. Days seemed to disappear. I hadn’t even made any resolutions and it was already the second day of the New Year.
    I used the room phone to call downstairs for some coffee and eggs to be brought up and then I flipped on the television. I hadn’t slept in as late as I thought I might, having not had any rest for a few days. But honestly, the sleep I’d been getting in the past few months had been restless anyway. I’d toss and turn and get up for water. Or I’d get up and reread old Casey text messages in the bathroom and check out Twitter to see if there were any new pictures of him.
    The unhealthy behavior wasn’t normal. I wasn’t well. Did I really think I could last a whole year like that? None of it had felt right. It was as if my life was being filmed in front of a live studio audience and no one showed me the script.
    That was until New Year’s Eve.
    Until my layover in Reno.
    Until last night.
    Everything was so much clearer. I was taking the path of most resistance from everyone and every outside force, except my heart. My heart was pumping in his name, chanting, “Casey. Love. Affection. Forever.” Its steady cadence pushed me forward.
    I’d been there for him last night. We were there for each other. If this was going