Chapter 26
DESI
“Pussy, I’m really over you and your nails clawing me,” I say to the drowned-looking cat whose fur is flattened by water, making her body look a third of what it does when it’s dry.
And there’s something about the moment, about the damn cat, that brings up the memory of the first time I learned Reznor was my neighbor. This cat was the catalyst bringing us together.
The thought makes my heart lurch. Panic consumes me as I take the wet cat and put her in a crate, and without thinking of anything else, run out the back door as fast as I can. The gate to the side yard sticks, and I struggle with it momentarily before I shove it open.
My fist pounds on Reznor’s door.
Pure panic. It’s the kind that tells you that if you don’t act now, you’re going to miss out.
Knock-knock.
The kind that says, I’m sorry, but I really do need just one more night with you. Not just for the sex. More because I need to tell you how I feel about you.
My hand stutters at the revelation. Because I do have feelings for him.
Tons of them.
Holy shit.
Knock-knock-knock.
I use more force this time. More urgency.
I slide to the side of the door and cup my hands against the window and peer inside.
He’s gone.
The furniture is still there, as it was rented, but every little piece of him that made it his is gone.
Just like that.
I lower myself to the step as the tears well and then slip down my cheeks.
You said don’t bother, Des.
This is what it feels like when your heart is breaking.
This one is on you.