Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
She offered me a drink, which I took gratefully as we all waited for the wild ride that was Whitley’s dating life.
“Okay, so I met this girl on an online dating app,” Whitley said.
“You were on a dating app?” Katherine asked incredulously. “You don’t seem the type.”
“Yeah, well, one of my nurses suggested it. Anyway, she was hot, and we had similar interests. I figured I’d give it a try.”
“Let me guess,” Katherine said. “She catfished you?”
“Nope!” Whitley said. “I screen that shit. I’m no amateur.”
We all laughed. I felt the weight of the last week melting off of my shoulders with the familiarity of Whitley’s stories and the help of vodka.
“I showed up at the bar to meet her. We hit it off, and she asked if I wanted to go home with her. Which, like… great intro. I was game. Then, we got there. I was thinking I was going to get laid, and suddenly, her husband appeared.”
“What?” I spat.
“Whitley,” Lark said with concern.
She held up her hand. “Not what you think. The dude was into it! She’d picked me up and wanted him to watch or some shit. I’d told her I was bi earlier in the conversation, but I hadn’t thought that I’d be ambushed with, like, some sex kink or a threesome.”
“Good god,” Katherine said. “This only happens to you.”
“What’d you do?” Lark asked.
“You stayed,” I intuited.
Whitley grinned. “Yeah, I stayed. I had the threesome. But I bounced right after the sex and blocked her number. I’m not here to play party all the time.”
“Your life is so…” Katherine said, lost for the word.
“Awesome?” Whitley asked.
“Unique.”
Whitley laughed and winked at her. “Pour me some tequila, and we’ll see where the night leads, Katherine.”
Katherine just shook her head with an amused look on her face. I knew Katherine was simply humoring Whitley’s crazier tendencies. That she’d likely go home to Camden and do whatever those two did when they were alone. I still wasn’t sure how their arranged marriage functioned. But I didn’t ask questions either. What did I know about a functioning marriage anyway?
I forced the thoughts aside and dived headfirst into drinks and dancing. Sweat clung to my back, and my feet already killed me, but it was worth it. Lark had been right. Getting out of the apartment and trying not to think was doing the trick.
I plopped down to give my aching feet a break and checked my phone for any emergencies. I was especially paranoid after what had happened with Court while I was gone. I’d have to go see him tomorrow and fix the damage we’d done to our professional relationship. Another thing I didn’t want to think of.
And then, as I scrolled through social media, an incoming call lit up the phone. I cursed when I saw it was Josh.
I was drunk. I definitely shouldn’t answer that. I couldn’t even math what time it must be in London for him to be calling me right now. Really early.
Still, I stumbled away from the girls and pressed the phone to my ear. “Josh?”
“English,” he said with relief in his voice. “I didn’t know if you’d still be awake.”
“I am.”
“Where are you? It’s loud on your end.”
“That’s really none of your business.”
He sighed heavily. “Don’t be that way.”
“What way is that, Josh?” I demanded. “Upset that you cheated on me? Because I am. I’m furious.”
“I just found out that you moved out of the house in LA.”
“Yep,” I snapped. “Sure did.”
“Please, English, can we just talk about this? Slow down and figure out what we can do? How we can salvage this? We’ve been together for five years. Do you really just want to throw that all away?”
“No, I don’t. But I don’t want to be married to a cheater either. So, I’m not going to be married to a cheater.”
“What are you saying?”
I swallowed. “I want a divorce.”
It was the first time I’d said the words out loud. Even though I’d been thinking them since the minute I found out what had happened with him and Celeste and rushed out of his flat in London. To me, it had ended that day. Five years together, down the drain. Two years of marriage, just poof! Gone! It was a travesty.
“English,” he gasped, the pain in his voice evident. “Please… don’t say that. Let’s talk this out and make a decision together.”
“You already made your decision, Josh.”
“Please…”
“Good-bye, Josh,” I whispered and then hung up the phone.
I felt like I was going to throw up. And also, I was resolute. It was officially over.
5
Court
“If you’re on lockdown, then why are we going out again?” Sam asked as we exited my apartment together.
“Because I’m fucking tired of being in the house. I don’t even know when English is coming back. I’m not going to sit around and wait any longer.”