Page 15 of Fun and Games

David had been my everything. He'd been my whole life. Losing him had nearly devastated me beyond repair. I'd fought hard to put the pieces of myself back together, but there was always going to be a dark chasm in the middle of my heart.

And I knew nothing would ever fill it again.

My eyes stung with unshed tears. I blinked rapidly to clear them and took a long, deep breath.

"I don't know," I told Samantha. "I don't think I'm in a bar kind of mood."

She eyed me with curiosity mixed with caution, no doubt noticing my glossy eyes, but she was approached by one of the firm's employees before she could reply.

I turned back to my blog, but I wasn't in the mood to write anymore. Instead, I brought up my bookmarks and checked my list of favorite travel blogs, looking for inspiration. Maybe I'd discover the next city to visit when I moved on.

My first bookmark was for Rogue on the Road, but there were still no new posts. I hadn't expected there to be. Rogue had been active online for years, but one day, about half a year ago, the blog posts stopped. There had been no more updates, and no explanation. Followers and fans had left comment after comment, asking when he was going to come back. So far there had been no answer.

I was one of those fans. His thoughtful observations and outlook on life reminded me so much of David's optimism and idealism…

The chasm in my chest yawned open, threatening to crack the edges of my heart.

My phone chimed. I quickly hurried to put it into silent mode. We weren't technically supposed to have our cell phones on at work. We weren't supposed to be working on our personal blogs either, but…

I snuck a glance at my phone. I was expecting another text message from my sister. I still hadn't given her a call. I had texted her back once and told her that I'd been busy with my new job. That didn't seem to satisfy her. She wanted to talk to me in person.

It wasn't that I was avoiding her. I just knew exactly she was going to say, the kinds of questions she was going to ask. I didn't feel up to dealing with it again for what had to be the dozenth time.

But when I checked the screen I saw a message, not from my sister Sheila, but from someone I never would have expected.

It was Mason.

The unfamiliar phone number wasn't in my contacts list, but he had signed the message he sent with a dash and his name. The only thing he had written was a simple,hey, what's up?

I took a furtive look back and forth to make sure I wasn't being watched then quickly typed out a message.

How did you get my number?I asked.

* * *

I asked you to text me after you got home safe, remember?

I had forgotten about that. I hadn't yet come up with a response before he sent his next message.

What are you up to tonight?

I looked at Samantha who was clacking away on the keyboard, not paying attention to me.

I was thinking of having an early night,I texted back.

I've got something much cooler than that if you're interested, he replied.

What could be more interesting than a tub of ice cream and a Netflix binge?I wrote.

How about Disney trivia night?

I couldn't stop a smile from crossing my face. Although he'd invited me to Disney trivia night when we were at the dog park, I thought he'd just been making an excuse to lure me to the bar again.

Are you serious?I asked.Is it really Disney trivia?

I'm always serious, he said.And I'm going to end up getting my ass kicked, because I know nothing about it.

You've come to the right person.