Please, give me a chance. Allow me to show you that we’re meant to be.
Always your possessed neighbor,
Reed.
Placing the letter to my chest, I lean back into the couch and soak up the feelings I read pouring off the page from him.
Picking up my phone, I send him a short text.
Me: Thank you for your letter. It means a lot to me.
And I finish it with a small purple heart.
It’s seconds before he responds to me.
Reed: Lunch tomorrow? Please?
Me: Yes. I have a massage appointment at ten. MShack at noon?
Reed: Wouldn’t miss it.
He adds his own blue heart, and I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I won’t tell him about the baby at lunch, but I could invite him to dinner and fill him in then.
6
Reed
I stared at my phone for hours last night before falling asleep. Reading Hope’s short messages to me, waiting for her to send
another. Wanting to send her more. Nothing happened though, and more than ever, I wish I could have been by her side.
As I sit at my desk, waiting for the hour hand to turn, needing to see her for lunch, I’ve never had such an excruciatingly slow day before.
“Time moves slower if you watch it.” Colby tosses a balled-up piece of paper at me. I barely catch it before it hits my face.
“Just need to see her is all.” I explained what happened to him on Friday, and when I came in this morning, whistling, he was surprised I was in a better mood.
“Yeah, sure, man.” He laughs because he doesn’t understand the depth of feelings I have for Hope. He and Tillie have been together since they were eighteen. While I don’t doubt their love for each other, I don’t think their teenage feelings could compare to my very adult ones. Or maybe I just need mine to be stronger in order to believe we can weather any type of conflict.
“Time to go, man.” My head shoots up at Colby’s words, and I stand so quickly that my chair bangs against the wall behind me.
“Back in a bit.” I’m rushing out the door and towards the mall in no time. Arriving early works to my benefit because I can grab more flowers and a table in the food court before Hope arrives.
I’m about to check the time on my phone again when I spot her. Long dark hair in a messy bun on top of her head. Baggy sweater hanging off one of her shoulders, fresh face, and a cautious look in her eyes.
Eagerly striding towards her, I grin when she blushes as I hand her the flowers. Without a word, I grasp the back of her head and pull her in for a deep kiss, exploring her mouth as I drag her body closer.
Tangling tongues, breathy sighs, and her hands squeezing my arms as she tries to maintain her balance, I finally pull away to see a dazed look on her face and sense stares all around us. “Fuck have I missed you.”
“You have?” I fucking hate how uncertain she is.
“Big time. How are you?” I ask, guiding her to the table I’d chosen for us.
“Fine. Tired.” I frown. I don’t like her being tired.
Helping her sit, I pull out a chair next to her and clasp one of her hands in my own. “I am so sorry about last week.” I kiss her knuckles when she sucks in a sharp breath. “Carla and I were over years ago. I don’t understand why she keeps coming back, but I think she’s gone for good this time after I exploded on her.”
Hope chews on her lip for a minute before saying, “Okay.”