Read Online Broken Holidays: A Broken Series Novella (The Broken Series) by Maegan Abel - Free Book Online Page B

laying here and you started getting ready to leave. I want you to stay.”
    “I won’t stay. Not now, not in another year, not in ten.” I dropped my head back to the wall, looking up at the ceiling. “That’s not who I am.”
    “It could be. If you—”
    “It won’t be. I’m not changing,” I said firmly. “I told you from the beginning that this was only about sex. It was supposed to be fun.”
    “And it is fun. It has been. Have you ever stopped to think about how much better it could be if—”
    “No,” I cut him off again, shaking my head as I pushed off the wall. “My answer is no.”
    He nodded, clenching his jaw in an obvious attempt to keep from saying anything else.
    I turned, not sure what else to say. There really wasn’t anything left. Heading toward the living room, my only plan was of escape. The original idea I’d had hours ago was coming back to me now. Get away. Walk to a public place and wait for a cab.
    “Hey.” Tony’s voice sounded rough behind me. I didn’t want to turn around but he deserved closure. He deserved a goodbye if that’s what he was after. I swallowed and turned toward him, letting my eyes linger on the colorful skin of his torso. Almost every inch of his upper body had ink and I’d spent the last two years or so slowly memorizing each individual tattoo. He stepped closer, his hand coming out as he gently lifted my chin to meet my eyes. “Give me a minute to get dressed and I’ll take you home. I don’t want you to take a cab this late.”
    I nodded, moving back to put distance between us and gently breaking away from his touch. He sighed and headed back to his bedroom while I gathered my things. The silence between us felt loaded with all the unspoken words as he drove across town, but I couldn’t risk speaking. If I opened my mouth, it might betray what my mind knew was the right thing. This is what needed to happen. Tony and I had gotten too close and too comfortable. It had to end.
    When we pulled up to the house, I leaned over to kiss his cheek, allowing myself that final moment before grabbing my bag from the floorboard. “Thank you,” I whispered, not quite ready to open the door and officially move on. It was almost a full minute before I realized he wasn’t going to respond. I took a deep breath, not glancing back at him for fear of what I might see. Instead, I opened the door and stepped out, doing everything I could to remind myself that feeling empty was ridiculous.
    It was only ever about sex.

 
    I hadn’t seen much of Lili in the last two days and I was beginning to think she was avoiding me. Since the night she’d snuck out of the bar, she’d been scarce, working more than usual, or so she said. I was surprised to find her in the living room when I got home two days before Christmas.
    She was curled up against the arm of the couch, a blanket wrapped around her and a mug of something, coffee maybe, between her hands. She was staring blankly at the TV and let out a sigh when I took the spot beside her.
    “Hey,” I said, testing the waters. Something was bothering her, that much was clear. She inclined her head in acknowledgement of my greeting but didn’t look at me. “So, the way this whole friendship thing works is, when something’s bothering you, you don’t have to take it all on yourself. You open your mouth, let words come out, and your friends help you handle it.”
    Her eyes slid sideways as she looked at me but she didn’t smile. “This isn’t exactly the kind of thing you want to get roped into helping with. Thanks, though.”
    “That’s not fair. When have I ever done something to make you think I wouldn’t help you, no matter what the problem is?” I frowned. “I’m worried about you. You’ve been acting weird and avoiding everyone, don’t think I haven’t noticed. Come on, talk to me, Pixie.” I nudged her arm, hoping she would loosen up. I’d never seen her like this.
    She sighed. “You want to help me?