Page 48 of Begin Again

“No!” I cried, indignant. “He… he just brought me to bed. And then stomped off to his room in the morning, as if I’d tried to rape him.”

Dawn laughed. “I don’t believe a word. The bro with 100 rules for proper cohabitation brought youto bed?” She made imaginary quote marks in the air.

I nodded and told her what happened. Frowning, Dawn pulled her hair out of her face.

“Will you tell me about your mom?” Dawn finally asked, her voice soft.

I swallowed hard and shook my head. “Actually, I just want to forget this encounter.”

“I’m good at that, believe me,” Dawn sighed. “My ex tried to call me many times.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Watch out that he doesn’t show up at the door,” I joked. The color drained so fast from Dawn’s face that my smile disappeared. “It was just a dumb joke!”

She clapped her hands. “I think we should indulge in a repression beauty program, with homemade facials and a trip to the movies. What do you say?”

I agreed.

The more time passed, the better I felt. It did me a lot of good to spend time with Dawn. It was like balm for my soul, and I felt like everything was going to be all right.

When I came home that night, Kaden wasn’t there. Nor the next morning. He hadn’t texted me, hadn’t left a note on the fridge, saying where he was. I figured that he must have hooked up with someone and spent the night with her. I practically wanted to slap myself over the sting that these thoughts spread through my body.

Still, the apartment felt empty without Kaden.