The Afterthought by K.M. Baker

Author:K.M. Baker [Baker, K.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Avalynn

The days begin to meld together as I fall into a routine with Chloe. My head has been a bit of a mess after telling Greyson about David. I hate how vulnerable it makes me feel now that he knows the truth. I also don’t know how to feel about him continuing to be so sweet to me. I’m confused, so I've been trying my best to avoid him while I process everything. He managed to get my phone number, though, and has been calling and texting me nonstop.

My heart almost exploded when I woke up last week and saw the coffee and muffin on the counter. I'll give him credit. He's been trying his best to show me he cares. Since then, I've woken up to that same coffee and muffin on my kitchen counter every day. I'm going to ignore the fact that I go to bed with the door locked, and yet, somehow, he still manages to get in. I'm almost positive he had a copy of my key made for himself.

It's a thoughtful gesture, but I'm still guarded. He expects me to just crawl back to him with open arms and forget about everything that we went through. I've thought about it a lot this week, I'm not going to lie, but I'm struggling. He isn't going to ever leave the Crimson Rose, and I don't want to be a part of that life. Letting him in would just end with both of us being hurt in the end.

Part of me feels like telling him about David and my near-death experience with him was a mistake. It's not like he can go back and change anything that happened that day. The other part of me feels relieved to finally be able to tell someone about it. It’s changed me a lot. I never brought it up to Wrenly because she was halfway across the country, and I didn't want to feel like a burden.

I trail my hand down the center of my chest from the outside of my shirt. Most people see the scars and ignore them. They wanted to avoid the awkward conversation, like I would have told them anyway. Greyson saw them and wanted to know about them.

Things between Chloe and I have gotten better. A few nights ago, she talked to me about her mom for the first time. It was the first sincere conversation we've had since that night after Greyson's birthday party. I know it was likely prompted by the visit back to her house to grab some more things, but I'm glad she is feeling comfortable enough to start opening up.

We decided that moving forward we are both going to make a conscious effort to get to know each other better. Graduation is only two months away, and I'm really hoping she and I are able to keep building our relationship even beyond that. Maybe at the end of it all, she will decide to leave Dune Valley with me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.