The Secret Clause by Violet Paine

Author:Violet Paine [Paine, Violet]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-12-14T16:00:00+00:00

The notes on my screen blur, and I scrub my hands over my eyes, blow out a slow breath, then grab my mug and drink the now cold peppermint tea with a grimace.

I’m bone-tired. My muscles scream at me every time I move, and my head thumps steadily, promising a wild headache if I don’t force myself to shut this laptop and crawl into bed to catch up on some shuteye soon.

Turns out, losing sleep at nearly thirty is hell on your body.

But so fucking worth it.

“What’s got you all happy this morning?” Bailey grumbles as she shuffles into the kitchen. Her hair is a mess of tangles thrown up in a butterfly clip, and last night’s makeup still sits heavily on her skin, giving her a bad case of panda eyes. Wearing a ratty old dressing gown over her fluffy pyjamas, she grimaces as the coffee maker comes to life.

“Nothing, just work,” I say, the lie bitter on my tongue. I’ve never lied to Bailey before. Unless you count It’s a Wonderful Life, which, honestly, that lie is for her own good.

And Chase, of course.

But I wasn’t lying when I said I want to know what this is before I bring the rest of the world into whatever we’re creating between us. It feels fragile. Special. And I’m not ready to share that. However, it doesn’t make keeping it a secret from my best friend any easier.

“I can’t believe you’re working over Christmas,” she says, waving an empty mug in front of my face.

I nod, answering her silent offer of a cup of coffee before dipping my gaze back to the laptop. “Yeah, well, some of us can’t afford a whole month off work. We’re not all that lucky.” I type out a few notes for the singer I’m currently working with to look over, then close my laptop and slide it to the centre of the island. “How’s your head this morning?”

“It feels like someone is taking a hammer to my temples. I could actually cry. I’m not sure a hangover has ever felt this bad before.”

“They do say when you cross over into your thirties, everything feels worse.”

She groans as she grabs the two mugs of steaming coffee and moves to the stool beside me before handing me one. I blow on the rim, inhaling the bitter aroma as it seeps into the air. “Don’t remind me. Thirty is scary as fuck; I’m not sure I’m ready for it.”

“I don’t think you have much of a choice,” I remind her. “You’re already there, babe.”

“Maybe I can just stay twenty-nine forever.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s how it works. Unless you have a time machine ready for Tuesday?” I tease, though my lips twist into a frown at the forlorn expression on her face as she shakes her head. “Hey, what’s going on?”

She sighs, pulls her mug to her mouth, and swallows generously before she finds my gaze. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just hitting me that I don’t have my life all figured out yet.

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.