Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 147545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Her words cut me open in a way I know she didn’t intend, and I start sobbing on her shoulder. She rubs my back, holding me until my shoulders no longer shake.
Then Shaley takes me to her sister’s bedroom. She tells me her sister doesn’t live here and only stays in it when she’s in town, so the bedding is fresh and to make myself comfortable.
I don’t have the energy, but I don’t want to sleep in Shaley’s sister’s bed all salty from melting in the heat today either, so I force myself to take a shower. It’s a better place to cry, anyway.
Shaley let me borrow a pair of her pajamas, a plain white tee and a pair of pink sleep shorts. I towel dry my hair and put on her pj’s, then I step back into the bedroom and find a surprise visitor waiting for me on the bed.
Sprinkles wiggles his little tail, his paws hanging over the edge of the mattress.
I crack a smile. “Hi. Are we cool now?”
He lets me pet him, then he sniffs my clothes. They probably smell like Shaley, so maybe he takes that as her stamp of approval.
Shaley pops in, shooting him a look. “There you are. Come on, you have your own bed to sleep in.”
He looks down, but it’s a big jump for such a little guy, so I pick him up and put him on the floor. He trots off, and Shaley hangs in the doorway. “Do you need anything before we go to bed?”
I shake my head. “You’ve done plenty. Thank you.”
“Of course. If you think of anything, help yourself to whatever you need.”
“You’re a really good friend,” I tell her. “I don’t deserve you.”
She smiles, but her eyes are sad. “Yes, you do.”
___
Mercifully, I fall into a dreamless sleep.
I don’t have an alarm since I slept without my phone on, so I don’t know what time it is until I get out of bed and wander into Shaley’s kitchen. She left a note for me on the counter. She had to leave for work and didn’t want to wake me. She asks if I’d mind taking Sprinkles out to pee before I leave, and she left a spare key with the note.
I smile faintly as I pick it up, wishing I’d opened up to Shaley before Tor urged me to. Having a friend like her might have made the last year just a little more bearable.
Even thinking his name makes me instantly sad, so I shove it out of my mind and go looking for Sprinkles. I find him curled up on Shaley’s bed, then I lure him out with excited noises and gestures. He trots merrily to the front door, and I put on his leash.
I feel a little uneasy about going outside where the people are, and that really brings me back. Fortunately, Sprinkles manages to do his business quickly, and we head back inside.
I have to close today, so I have to head back to the apartment soon. I don’t want to be there long, but all my uniform clothes are there. I don’t want to borrow Shaley’s, especially since she’s at work already and I don’t have a phone I can use to ask her.
I see a grocery list on her fridge, so I use Tor’s credit card to order a grocery delivery. I wait for it to arrive, then put away the items that need to be refrigerated or stored in the freezer. I also ordered a box of Milk-Bones, which was not on the list. I leave it on the counter with the bags of non-perishables and a quick note thanking her for letting me stay over.
I know I won’t have access to his credit card for much longer, and he owes me, so I figure I should use it while I can.
Once I’ve put it off for as long as possible, I say goodbye to Sprinkles and lock up Shaley’s house, then I head to the apartment.
Considering Tor didn’t show up there last night, I’m thinking he doesn’t know where Shaley lives, so I want to protect her privacy and don’t turn my phone back on until I get to the apartment. I’m expecting some notifications to populate, but they don’t show up right away.
I drop the phone and my keys on the kitchen counter. Being back here tugs at all my heartstrings. I don’t know how to merge these realities.
Swallowing, I turn back to the counter to check my phone and frown when I see there are still no new notifications. I pick it up and swipe open my messages.
Nothing new has popped up yet. I tap my text chain with Tor. Nothing.
I leave the phone on the counter to charge and head to my bedroom to dig out a clean uniform.