CHASE - Volume Three (The CHASE Series Book 3) Read Free Page B

myself feel better if I were feeling down or depressed? Were those the reasons, or was it because, deep down, I didn’t want to delete the messages, thus deleting him?
    He had texted me recently, just saying hey and that he hoped I was doing well. I didn’t reply, and I felt bad about it. I could just be civil and message him back, but I knew he would reply and we’d get into a whole big thing. He’d want to talk, I would be unsure, and who knew where it would go from there. I wasn’t ready for all of that. I wasn’t ready to fight, and no matter what, I knew an argument was going to ensue. It was only natural after what I saw and what happened between us. He might feel differently, and he might not fight, but I’d definitely yell, and that was bad enough.
    But even with all of that, even with the not talking and the awkwardness, there was a part of me that did read his texts and sort of wonder if he was telling the truth. He always stuck to his story, even the details, and why would someone who just wanted to get laid try this hard with a woman he wasn’t even technically with? If he just wanted pussy he’d get it and not worry about me. This would be one major lie to keep up with, especially after the time that had passed and my lack of messages and even the slightest bit of attention or notice.
    Still, though, how could he really explain the reason for that woman to be in his house half naked, him without a shirt, and especially his face when I came in and saw that they were together? That was what I was having a problem with, and even though the only way to get to the bottom of it was to talk to him and let him explain his side of the story, I wasn’t ready, and I wasn’t sure I’d be ready anytime soon.
    Maybe I’d be ready soon, and maybe I could talk to him without feeling like I’d implode with anger and stress, but until then, I’d just go out with Travis, focus on my schoolwork, and unfortunately, sit here at this desk and wait to tell someone where the registration office was, because that seemed to be the only question anybody ever had for me when I was here. They really just needed to post a sign when you walked in, but that might make me lose my job. I wasn’t needed for anything else, as the past hundred shifts had shown.
    My phone buzzed and I picked it back up, seeing Travis replying. I opened it up, smiling as always, happy to hear from someone who made me forget all of my problems and just treated me the way I needed and wanted to be treated.
    “We’ll go out soon, I promise. I’ve had a group project in my civics class and let me tell you, it sucks. One of the guys never even shows up, and the others have been leaving it to me to get done, so I’m pretty busy. Plus, with work, it’s all a little too much,” he said.
    “I fully understand. I’m sitting at work now and just want to jump off of a bridge. They never have me doing anything even remotely important or interesting. I just sit here and direct people to the same old place every single time,” I said.
    “You think that’s bad? I have to clean toilets and pick up people’s garbage. It’s horrible!” he replied.
    “That sounds so disgusting, especially with how cute you are. Cute guys shouldn’t be scrubbing toilets! Where do you work?” I asked.
    “My uncle owns a motel, so I work there just doing cleaning and maintenance and everything. It pays well, is stable because my uncle owns it and would feel too bad firing me, and they work around my school hours, which is good when I have projects and papers due,” he said.
    “That’s really cool. I wish I had a job that would allow me some freedom and actually get me doing something. I used to think that I wanted a job where I could sit around and just collect a paycheck, but now I really want a job that will get me active and keep my mind busy,” I said.
    “Then get a new job! I know you could get any job you wanted, and you’d be a great asset to any company.