Read Online In Control (The City Series) by Crystal Serowka - Free Book Online Page A

yes, right? Will his parents also be there?”
    “In a roundabout sort of way, and yes, I’m assuming they will be.” I looked at the clock hanging above the mantle. Wren had been gone for ten minutes. I wondered if he crossed the street. I wondered if he was just stepping into his apartment. If he was laying on his bed, staring at his cell and waiting for me to call.
    “What do you mean? You didn’t say yes?” Trish’s eyebrows pushed together.
    “I agreed to go. Let’s just keep it at that. I stood up and grabbed my phone from the coffee table. “Look, I need to fix things.Somehow. Some way.”
    “Kingsley, he loves you. He looks at you like he’s just struck gold. You have to show him that you care just as much.”
    I’d given that same advice to myself, but never followed it. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I could fix this situation with three words.
    I shut my bedroom door behind me and dialed his number.
    “Kingsley.”
    Wren’s strangled voice made me shiver as I crawled into my welcoming bed. I opened my mouth, expecting the words to just flow out, but nothing came. I just stayed quiet and listened to Wren’s steady breathing.
    “Kingsley?”
    The silence had become unbearable.
    “Hi,” I finally spit out. “Wren, I—”
    “Don’t,” he interrupted. “Don’t say that you’re sorry you can’t say certain things, or you feel terrible for not feeling the same way about me. I don’t want to hear that.”
    “What do you want to hear?”
    “I just want to know one thing, Kingsley.” He paused before continuing, almost as if he were waiting for me to cut in. “I want to know if you actually meant what you told me on that street corner.”
    I licked my lips. I closed my eyes. I allowed Trish’s advice to sink into me and soak up all of my cowardice. “I meant every word.”
    Have you ever been on the phone with someone, and you could almost feel their smile through the receiver? One that was so apparent that it made you smile as well? I could feel Wren’s cheeks lift. I could feel his eyes flutter and then close, because that’s what he did when something made him really happy. Not only was his joy contagious, but it also gave me promise that maybe my heart could be repaired.

I woke the next morning still clutching the yearbook to my chest. Yesterday, I was punished for something I didn’t do, so I stayed in the basement for the remainder of the night, only going upstairs to use the restroom. No one came and checked on me and I was okay with that. I refused to give Mr. and Mrs. Henderson the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I stood up slowly, my arms and knees aching from the earlier fall. Bending down, I inspected my body for any bruises or cuts, only noticing one below my left elbow.
    The front door opened and I heard Mrs. Henderson saying goodbye to someone. Without any thought, I raced up the twenty-five steps to shower as quickly as I could. Just as I was coming out of the bathroom, Mr. Henderson was walking up the stairs. I clung to my bathrobe, frightened by his presence.
    Mr. Henderson had never hit me before, but I was terrified in his company. Whenever I was in the same room as him, I’d find him staring at me, studying my body. He made me feel uncomfortable, like I had to cover up every inch of skin so he had nothing left to admire. Most times, he wouldn’t say a word to me; if it wasn’t for the way his eyes lit up whenever I walked into the room, I’d be convinced I was invisible to him.
    He stood at the top step, blocking me from walking past. “What were you doing in there for so long?”
    “I was just showering. Getting ready for day.”
    “You have a bathroom downstairs.”
    I didn’t stand close to Mr. Henderson, but I could still feel his breath on my face as he spoke. I looked down at his feet, disgusted at the sight. His toenails were long, and the corner of his big toe was as yellow as an ear of corn.
    “The toilet stopped working last week. I told