Bait: The Wake Series, Book One(76)

“Use this to get back to the hotel.” I slipped it under her hand that was still plastered against the wall. Blake's breathing was labored and I'm sure she was still in that twilight head-space between sex and thereafter.

I kissed her shoulder.

“This is a f*ck and run. Now you know the difference, honeybee.”

I slammed the door when I left.

I fought my instincts and didn't go back to make sure she was okay. I hoped I’d opened her eyes to how she was falsely labeling what we were. I didn't know what the exact term for us was, but I knew f*cking and running wasn't what we'd been doing. And now she would, too.



I met Troy at the bar and told him I was leaving. He decided to stay.

“Blake's still here. But I'm out.”

He shook his head mockingly at me.

“This was her call, Troy. I've got to go. Make sure she gets back to the hotel. Would you?”

“Oh, I'll make sure all right,” he said like a snake, but I knew he wasn't.

“If you weren't my best friend…” I pointed at him, adrenaline coursed wildly through my veins from the lesson—I hoped—I gave the girl who I’d rather be leaving with.

“What? If I weren't your best friend I wouldn't have to watch you do this? I wouldn't see how she's got you so twisted up? Yeah, if I weren't your best friend I'd probably have a fat lip right now. But I am you best friend and I'd rather have the fat lip than feel how you're going to when this all falls apart.” Troy got in my face, chest swelled and eyes dilated.

I didn't want to fight him. I was already in a war with myself.

I turned and left.

I went back to the hotel and changed rooms. I didn't want to see her. I turned off my phone.

I needed space. I needed time to think.

I needed to wrap my head around the one fact that I hadn't let myself think about the whole weekend. The thing that was making this paralyzing pain sharper in my chest.

She was f*cking engaged and she never even mentioned it to me. She was going to marry him.



I left the next morning and went to the airport for no good reason. My flight didn't leave for four more hours. I sat there and watched the planes come and go. My mind was a labyrinth.

If I go this way what will happen? If I do that will it even make a difference?

I wasn't getting anywhere no matter which way I spun it. She was with him and I still wanted her.

I powered up my phone after having it off after the club. I needed to make sure Troy knew I was already there.

Honeybee: I get it. I'm sorry.

Honeybee: You didn't answer your door so I guess you're asleep. See me in the morning? Please?

Honeybee: I said I was sorry. I meant it. You're being a little dramatic, Lou.

Honeybee: My flight leaves in an hour. I'm in the lobby.

Honeybee: This hurts. Stop it.

That was the one that got me. I think her plane left at eight that morning, ours didn't take off until two. She was long gone.

Me: Why didn't you tell me you were engaged? When did it happen?

I got a coffee and put my ear buds in, she was still in the air somewhere over Colorado I was guessing. I sat there for a few more hours. I tried not to think.

I just listened. But I'll be damned if every single song I heard didn't sound like it was written specifically for what was running through my mind. Fast songs, the slower more melodic ones, they all related.

Was that how my life was going to be from now on? Could I even take what she had to give me at face value anymore?

Did I even have a choice?

Later that night, I finally started to make some kind of peace with it all.



Something fowl had died in my refrigerator while I'd been on the road and I'd spend the better part of the evening aggressively cleaning out the putrid appliance. When I was walking in from taking the trash out my phone rang.

It was her.

I looked at the ceiling for the answers, but then I realized they weren't there. They were on the other end of that call. I connected the call, but my voice didn't kick in in the normal way it should.

“Casey? You there?” she asked not knowing if the call had gone through.

I walked to my recliner, sat down and leaned back. “Yeah. I'm here.”

“I didn't think you'd answer. I'm really sorry.” That was all good and well, but her apology didn't fix anything.