you’re not hearing me. It meant something before, but not now.”
“Aubrey…”
“Hey, FYI, not my fault. And don’t act like that side of your bed has been empty for the last few hours. I’m not stupid.”
“Don’t be that way. We’re great together. I know how you like it. I can make you forget as I fuck your ass.”
Aubrey thought of Varick and ran her hand along her breasts. Her body was still on fire from the dream. If he could do that from a distance, what could he do in person?
“Not interested. You cheated on me. It’s over. End of discussion.”
“Oh come on. Your track record for staying with a guy was slim when we hooked up. You did the same thing to each poor bastard. You just broke up with them first.”
She glanced out the window at the full moon. No wonder the night had been so crazy. “Yeah, hello, which isn’t cheating. I try to spare the feelings of others when I know it’s not working out. I am curious, is this the first time?”
He paused and she imagined him scratching his balls. “You lost me. First time for what?”
Her fist tightened around the phone. “The blonde trollop. Was she the only one you fucked while we were together?”
“Oh you mean Lindsay, yeah. Or did you mean is this the first time we had sex?”
Aubrey thought she was going to be sick. It wasn’t humiliating enough to find out about one incidence? “It doesn’t even really matter, but for my own peace of mind, I need to know. How many times were you with her? Be honest.”
The long silence just about unglued her.
“Four times.”
Her brows knitted together. “Four? How is that possible?” Had she been that blind?
“Well, she’s my secretary, so we have lunch together. Such a cliché, right?”
She pulled the phone away from her ear and flipped off the receiver. “I don’t think we have anything left to talk about.”
“Can’t we work this out?”
Why, so she could experience heartbreak again and again? Not a chance. “No. I don’t want to be with someone I can’t trust. We had some good times together, so it’s not a complete loss.”
“For what it’s worth, I am sorry.”
“I am too. It’s late, I need to get some sleep. Bye.”
Aubrey hung up without waiting for him to say goodbye and let out a rush of air she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. All her anger at Gil melted away. The tears she’d shed over him earlier were done . They were done. Her level of relief floored her.
Unable to get back to sleep, she lay on her bed, legs curled under, arms wrapped around a pillow. Like a switch had been flipped, dark memories resurfaced of the night her mother died. All the pain she’d blocked for a decade hit her with a vengeance. Pieces stayed missing. Images she was unable to recall. A nagging question lingered in the back of her mind. Why hadn’t her mother ever mentioned Dante?
Suddenly, she remembered the box. When her aunt took her in, a box of her mother’s things had been given to her. She’d considered the contents inside sacred and had never opened it. Aubrey worried that the beauty and memories of her mother would spill out and drift away if she looked inside. A thought that still concerned her. Tonight, however, it seemed important to open it.
She slid from the bed and got to her knees. Pulling back the comforter she ducked her head underneath and scanned the floor. In the middle sat the box, blue with white hearts. Without hesitation she reached for it and slid it toward her. Box in hand, she climbed back on her bed, and removed the lid.
Inside she found letters bound in red satin ribbon, a worn diary, sparkling jewellery, and dried rose petals. Curious, Aubrey read through each letter and scanned entries in the diary. As she read, she understood. Words of a true, beautiful love spilled from the paper and soaked into her skin. An amazing power radiated around her. For a moment, she wondered if her mother were with her, smiling down on her knowingly.
She
“Aubrey…”
“Hey, FYI, not my fault. And don’t act like that side of your bed has been empty for the last few hours. I’m not stupid.”
“Don’t be that way. We’re great together. I know how you like it. I can make you forget as I fuck your ass.”
Aubrey thought of Varick and ran her hand along her breasts. Her body was still on fire from the dream. If he could do that from a distance, what could he do in person?
“Not interested. You cheated on me. It’s over. End of discussion.”
“Oh come on. Your track record for staying with a guy was slim when we hooked up. You did the same thing to each poor bastard. You just broke up with them first.”
She glanced out the window at the full moon. No wonder the night had been so crazy. “Yeah, hello, which isn’t cheating. I try to spare the feelings of others when I know it’s not working out. I am curious, is this the first time?”
He paused and she imagined him scratching his balls. “You lost me. First time for what?”
Her fist tightened around the phone. “The blonde trollop. Was she the only one you fucked while we were together?”
“Oh you mean Lindsay, yeah. Or did you mean is this the first time we had sex?”
Aubrey thought she was going to be sick. It wasn’t humiliating enough to find out about one incidence? “It doesn’t even really matter, but for my own peace of mind, I need to know. How many times were you with her? Be honest.”
The long silence just about unglued her.
“Four times.”
Her brows knitted together. “Four? How is that possible?” Had she been that blind?
“Well, she’s my secretary, so we have lunch together. Such a cliché, right?”
She pulled the phone away from her ear and flipped off the receiver. “I don’t think we have anything left to talk about.”
“Can’t we work this out?”
Why, so she could experience heartbreak again and again? Not a chance. “No. I don’t want to be with someone I can’t trust. We had some good times together, so it’s not a complete loss.”
“For what it’s worth, I am sorry.”
“I am too. It’s late, I need to get some sleep. Bye.”
Aubrey hung up without waiting for him to say goodbye and let out a rush of air she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. All her anger at Gil melted away. The tears she’d shed over him earlier were done . They were done. Her level of relief floored her.
Unable to get back to sleep, she lay on her bed, legs curled under, arms wrapped around a pillow. Like a switch had been flipped, dark memories resurfaced of the night her mother died. All the pain she’d blocked for a decade hit her with a vengeance. Pieces stayed missing. Images she was unable to recall. A nagging question lingered in the back of her mind. Why hadn’t her mother ever mentioned Dante?
Suddenly, she remembered the box. When her aunt took her in, a box of her mother’s things had been given to her. She’d considered the contents inside sacred and had never opened it. Aubrey worried that the beauty and memories of her mother would spill out and drift away if she looked inside. A thought that still concerned her. Tonight, however, it seemed important to open it.
She slid from the bed and got to her knees. Pulling back the comforter she ducked her head underneath and scanned the floor. In the middle sat the box, blue with white hearts. Without hesitation she reached for it and slid it toward her. Box in hand, she climbed back on her bed, and removed the lid.
Inside she found letters bound in red satin ribbon, a worn diary, sparkling jewellery, and dried rose petals. Curious, Aubrey read through each letter and scanned entries in the diary. As she read, she understood. Words of a true, beautiful love spilled from the paper and soaked into her skin. An amazing power radiated around her. For a moment, she wondered if her mother were with her, smiling down on her knowingly.
She
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