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26. Julianna
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Consolation Prize 27. Julianna
I knew I loved you when suddenly “home” went from a place to a person. —UnknownThe next day was a Saturday, no college classes, so I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to act around Colton in philosophy. I’d never told a guy I loved him over the phone before. Actually, the only other person I’d said it to had been Shaun, and he’d proposed directly after that and we’d spent the rest of the day in bed together.I shuddered with revulsion, just thinking about him and that day, while a nasty taste filled my tongue. Remembering other guys felt wrong now. I kind of wished everything had started with Colton because he was the only thing that felt right.And yet I was sitting here stressing about how I was going to behave around him the next time I saw him.We both knew we loved each other now.What would I say to him about it? Just blurt it out again first thing? What if he retracted his part of it because he really had gotten a concussion the night before, and he’d been delirio
Consolation Prize 28. Colton
I love my eyes when you look into them. I love my name when you say it. I love my heart when you touch it. I love my life when you are in it. —UnknownThe ringing of a cell phone on the nightstand about a foot from my head woke me from a pleasant dream. Needing to shut it up as soon as possible, I blindly swiped out my hand and captured the bleating device. Somehow I was able to slide my thumb across the front and answer it without cracking open a single eye.“’Lo,” I croaked.A beat of silence followed before a hesitant voice asked, “Colton?”Brandt.“Yeah. What d’you want?” I mumbled, yawning as I tried to get my brain to function.“I, uh.” He emitted an uneasy laugh that had me finally opening my eyes. Then he said, “Nothing. I mean, I wasn’t trying to call you. Sorry, I must’ve misdialed.”With a grateful groan, I slurred, “Good.” Now I didn’t have to think and come up with a rational response to whatever he wanted. “I’m going back to bed.”Clicking off the call, I started
Consolation Prize 29. Colton
Family: like branches on a tree, we all grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one. —UnknownBrandt dropped his hand where he’d had it raised to knock. His gaze settled on me before he said, “I knew I hadn’t called the wrong number.”I shrugged. “You know, you could’ve just checked the call history on your phone instead of coming all the way over here to figure that out, right?”He narrowed his eyes at my smart-ass reply. “What the fuck are you doing here, Colton?” Then he dropped his gaze to where my hand was linked with Julianna’s, and his eyes bulged with disbelief.She tightened her grip on me. I wasn’t sure if she was nervous or trying to be supportive. But I did know she wasn’t ashamed of being caught by him with me, which was all I needed to know.So I blinked at my brother and shot back just as accusingly, “What the fuck are you doing here? You’re the married one of us two.”He shot me a grow-up look and muttered, “I’m trying to figure out why you were answ
Consolation Prize 30. Julianna
One day someone is going to hug you so with that all of your broken pieces fit back together. —UnknownI was pacing my living room and waiting for word back from Colton about how things had gone with his brother—who was not my favorite person at the moment—when Tyla blew into the apartment, crying hysterically.She slammed the door behind her and started to storm toward the hallway but shrieked when she saw me lurking nearby.“Oh my God, JuJu.” She pressed her hand to her heart. “You scared the shit out of me. What’re you doing here?”“I live here,” I said slowly before reaching out to catch her arm. “Are you okay?”“No,” she wailed, burying the heels of her palms into her eye sockets. “I did it. I broke up with him. I told him to go shove it where the sun didn’t shine. Oh my God, JuJu. What am I going to do?”“Well, first you’re going to sit down,” I told her gently as I took her arm and led her toward the couch. “Then you’re going to drink the cup of hot tea I make you and you’
Consolation Prize 31. Julianna
When someone else’s happiness is your happiness, that is love. —UnknownColton straightened with surprise. “Wait, what?” His eyes went wide and scared as they darted between me and Tyla. “Pregnant?”I blinked at my roommate, utterly confused. “Yeah…what?” I asked Tyla.“Well…” She blinked at me, clearly confused. “You said something about jostling your ovaries.”I glanced toward Colton. He glanced back at me. And we both burst out laughing.Tears were streaming down my face and Colton still couldn’t calm down enough to help me explain our inside joke when Tyla finally lifted her hands, and said, “Never mind. I don’t want to know. You and your happy new relationship is making me ill.”“No, wait.” I dove at her, grabbing her arm. “I’m sorry. We’ll stop. I’ll behave, I swear.”“Yeah, I won’t touch her for the rest of the night,” Colton promised, right before sending me a big wink and then scooting me off his lap. Then he turned all his attention to Tyla. “This is your night. We’ll
Consolation Prize 32. Colton
Find a heart that will love you at your worst and arms that will hold you at your weakest. —UnknownI stayed with Julianna until morning, and I swear we held each other a little tighter all night long as if we both feared someone was going to barge into her room and physically tear us apart, namely her dad.After her alarm went off, we knew we needed to get up and prepare for a day full of classes, but we didn’t want to move just yet. We lay there, staring up at her ceiling as we remained wrapped around each other in our safe little cocoon.“Is it bad that I want to hunt down your ex and kick the shit out of him for telling your dad?” I asked.She huffed out a laugh. “Honey, get in line. I would love nothing more than to punch him in the throat right about now.”“I can’t believe he and your dad still talk. I mean, your dad knows why you divorced him, right?”When Julianna swallowed audibly, I looked at her. “Julianna?”With a sigh, she closed her eyes. “I just told him I felt li
Consolation Prize 33. Julianna
Being deeply loved gives you strength; loving deeply gives you courage. —Lao TzuSitting on the damp floor with my back to a crumbling wall, I tugged off one of my gloves with my teeth, then picked open a scab on the tip of my finger. I’d spent all day yesterday trying to claw my way out of this concrete tomb that seemed to be some kind of small underground storm shelter. The only thing I’d managed to accomplish, though, was to give myself two hands full of broken fingernails, ground down to tattered bloody stubs.When fresh blood welled through the dirty flesh, I stuck my thumb into my mouth, sucking greedily so I could at least wet my tongue.There’d been a small puddle in the corner just under the air vent in the ceiling where water had probably leaked in when it had rained. But I’d already drank that dry, knowing it’d probably make me sick but needing it anyway.I almost wished for an insect to crawl by so I could eat it. I was literally starving to death down here. I’d screame
Consolation Prize 34. Brandt
The couples that are “meant to be” are the ones who go through everything that is meant to tear them apart and come out even stronger than they were before. —UnknownI wiped down the counter of the bar and glanced at the time. Twenty minutes until opening. I’m not sure why I was so obsessed with checking the time these past few days, but I did it constantly.Obsessively.It’d just passed the fifty-seven-hour mark since Julianna had gone missing. Twelve minutes since I’d called in to check on my brother. And about twenty-five seconds since I’d fought the urge to ditch work and drive the streets again, searching for my lost coworker.Colton was a fucking mess. I’d never seen him this out of sorts before. He’d wept this morning, losing his shit all over Aspen, and none of us had known what to do to help him.I didn’t like this powerless feeling. I had no idea what to do to ease my brother. None of us did.They said he wasn’t eating or sleeping. When he wasn’t out looking for Juli, o
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