Page 40 of Dearly Unbeloved (Spicy in Seattle #3)

ROSE

I t feels good to be back in the lab. Lisa has the day off today, so I’m getting stuck back into lab work instead of shadowing her.

It’s all hands on deck before we break for Christmas, and having something meticulous to focus on is exactly what I need.

They’re closing the whole building for a week over the holidays, and everyone is excitedly counting down the days.

Not me—a week off work right now sounds like hell—but I’m glad everyone else is excited. Tomorrow marks two weeks since Sierra walked out, and it doesn’t hurt any less.

That’s not to say time hasn’t done anything.

After a couple of days of crying, I forced myself to stop and really think about why she did it.

It wasn’t about me. I realize that now. She did have feelings for me, because that’s the only thing that would scare her enough to make her leave like she did.

But realizing that doesn’t make me miss her less, and it doesn’t make it easier to sleep at night.

All it does is make me worry about her, because if I know Sierra—and I do, even if she blindsided me last week—she’s beating herself up about it.

All it does is make me think of her more.

I’m glad Lina flew up to be with her, and even more glad that she wasn’t on a date like I thought.

I can’t bring myself to stop wearing my ring. I rub my thumb across the cool metal as I cross the lab to get a new box of pipettes.

I’m halfway across the room, touching my ring, thinking of Sierra, when I hear it. A soft whistle, though I can’t pinpoint exactly where it’s coming from with all the chatter. I turn to Minah and frown.

“Can you hear?—”

The whistling stops.

The room explodes.

I fly through the air. Everything is too loud and silent all at once. Heat licks at my body, smoke filling my mouth. Blinding, deep, excruciating pain ricochets down my left side. Sierra’s face fills my mind, the memory of her soft smile, her twinkling laugh, her gentle touch…

And then, nothing.