Restless Night: Insomniac Duet #1 (Bay Area Duet Series Book 5) by Persephone Autumn

Author:Persephone Autumn [Autumn, Persephone]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781951477240
Publisher: Between Words Publishing LLC
Published: 2022-03-14T18:30:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

MICAH

Peyton hasn’t been the same since last Saturday. Can’t pinpoint what is different, but something just seems off.

Wednesday and yesterday, we only spoke when absolutely necessary. Every time I peeked in her direction, she appeared lost. Somewhere besides Roar. Eyes staring off in the distance, but without focus. She chatted with patrons in the bar, but her conversations lacked their typical zeal. Her harrowing smiles seemed forced.

Between the early morning hours of Sunday, when we parted ways at Teddy’s, and early Wednesday evening, something shifted in Peyton’s world.

But my life and perspective had shifted too.

After the conversation at Jonas and Autumn’s Sunday night, I didn’t sleep for shit. Didn’t get much sleep the two days following, either.

What I had done to Peyton all those years ago weighed heavily on my mind and heart. Made me twitchy and restless, night after night. I had lain awake in bed for hours and replayed all the horrible words I’d said to and about her. Each night, I counted the bubbles in the popcorn ceiling to distract myself or fall asleep from boredom. But it neither distracted nor induced boredom. To my amazement and pitifulness, the highest I counted was 412. The only reason I stopped… the wind kicked up outside, swept the tree branch near my window and the dancing shadow caught my attention.

Exhaustion is no comparison to how I feel. My cement-pillar legs drag with each step forward. My lead-beam arms and robotic hands move only because my mind wills them to. Thank goodness my lungs and heart do their job without directive.

Did our conversation Saturday upset her? Dredge up old memories?

I grit my teeth and hang my head, ashamed at the person I was to her years ago. Had my parents known how I behaved back then—especially to a girl—they would have had me booted from the track team and on house arrest for months.

The question now is… how do I fix this? How do I make up for the asshole juvenile I once was? Will she forgive me and my deplorable behavior? Or will she forever harbor hatred for me in her heart?

When a crowd favorite booms through the speakers, the horde of bodies shifts from the bar to the dance floor.

I inch closer to Peyton, her eyes downcast, and focused on the glass she has cleaned three times. I knock her shoulder and she lifts her gaze and blinks.

“Everything alright? Seems like you’re somewhere else tonight.”

She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

“Want to talk about it?”

One shoulder shrugs as she sets the glass down. “Not now. Another time, maybe.”

Seeing Peyton like this stirs the memories I recalled this past week. Although I was a royal prick to her, I did see her around school. I honestly don’t recall any feelings for her—positive or negative. Back then, Peyton was just a random girl. Day after day, week after week, month after month, she remained the same. Decked head to toe in black. Baggy pants and a hoodie with the hood up.

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