“Don’t laugh, that was actually a pretty hot line,” Evie giggles.
Yep. Definitely picturing his hands on me now…
“Come on, let’s go search your closet for something that makes youfeel pretty,” Nuri cheers, standing up with her wine glass and darting towards the stairs of the house, not even turning to check if we follow.
What does he have planned? Is he taking me to a restaurant? A walk somewhere?
My heart skips a few beats.
I can’t wait to find out…
31
YOU SHOULD WONDER WHY IT WAS SO EASY TO BELIEVE
Nate: Your random feeling of the day?
Prudence: I’m sad Nuri’s leaving already.
Nate: I’m sure you’ll see her soon.
Nate: You could go seeher on your own now that Jack has a whole team looking after him.
Prudence: Maybe.
Prudence: I’m not sure I’m ready. Letting him take the plane alone from Seattle while I was driving was stressful enough.
Nate: It was different then.
Prudence: I know, I know.
Prudence: What about your random feeling of the day?
Nate: Hm…
Nate: I got a hard-on in the middle of Walmart.
Nate: Buying sunscreen.
Nate: The female cashier noticed and I worry she might have thought it was for her.
Nate: The sultry look she gave me was a littleawkward.
Nate: I hope she doesn’t track me using my loyalty card.
PRUDENCE
I’m sitting crossed-legged on my bed, locked in my room, biting my fingernails, and staring at my phone. Waiting. Jack is writing downstairs, and I told him I was going to join him shortly so we could write and draw together. We haven’t spent a night storytelling in a while…
And instead of spending time with him, I’m hiding here, waiting for a call that I’m not so sure I want to answer anymore. I mean, do I really want to know what the hell is going on back there for Tham to try to call me? Do I want to talk to him? It seemed like he doesn’t know the reason we’re not welcome home anymore. But is Nuri right? What if Tham is actually lying and manipulating me into doing whatever he wants like he used to when I was a kid?
I’m seriously considering turning my phone off and pretending like I never agreed to talk to him when it starts ringing. A video call.
Why the hell would he want tovideocall?
I take a deep breath and inhale slowly through my nose, my eyes closed, in hope that my face will relax and he won’t notice the deep frown that was pulling on my face for a good thirty minutes.
And I accept the call.
