Thorneless (Rose of Thorne Series) Read Free Page A

think you need another friend right now.”
    I don’t know what to say back to him.
    Is he saying he still loves me? SHIT! I can’t deal with this right now!
    I can’t wrap my mind around any of this. The sad thing about it is that I’ve really missed him.  He looks at life so optimistically and always makes me laugh.  He’s the complete and total opposite of Sebastian in so many different ways. Every amazing quality about this man is so rare to find in anyone nowadays.  When we had been together, he made me feel like I was the most important person in the world. Anyone lucky enough to find someone who treats them like that should never take that for granted.  It’s too bad that I had chosen to follow my heart and not my head.  Now I’m ruined—now I’m alone.
    It makes me sad that perhaps I hadn’t given him the chance he’d deserved. It’s too late now —that’s in the past. Sebastian had ruined that for me, just like he had ruined everything else. I will never be anyone’s anything anymore.  It has to be this way.  I have to protect what little bit of myself I have left.
    “Just so you know, Lucas, it can never be anything more than just friends between you and me.  I just don’t want you expecting that something else is going to happen.”  
    “I understand, Skylar. So, we’re friends, right?”  He questions with raised eyebrows.
    I nod and smile back, before replying, “Friends.”              
     
                                  

     
    Lucas
    I lay in my bed that night thinking about her.   She isn’t getting married.  I would be lying if I didn’t say that I was more than happy with her news—overjoyed even.   I just wished it had not been at the expense of my gorgeous girl’s pain.  The Skylar I’d left back at Kylie’s apartment building was a sad and broken one.  It was as if she had no more tears to cry over losing him.  I can’t help but wonder what he did that she isn’t able to forgive him for.  I know it had to have been incredibly bad, because she is probably one of the most forgiving people that I’ve ever known.
    Had he cheated on her? If he did, then he’s a fucking fool!
    At dawn, I watch the sun come up across the Austin skyline and blow on the steam of my fresh cup of coffee.  Somehow I had forgotten just how beautiful mornings are here in Texas.  I study my watch again, willing the time to move faster this morning .  
    6 am. Shit! It’s still too early to go see her.  
    I don’t know how she would handle the news I have, or whether she will even seem interested.  I just hope that either way, she’ll keep an open mind at what I have to say.  I think I may have a solution to help her out.  What she doesn’t need to know is that in the end, I am not just doing this for her, I have selfish interests of my own.  
    When it’s finally 9 am, I make my way into Kylie’s apartment building.  Hopefully, she’ll still be here because I have no other way of contacting her if she isn’t.  Bravely, I ring the buzzer in the lobby and listen closely as a groggy voice comes over the speaker.  
    “Yeah?” Kylie says through a yawn.
    “Kylie, is Skylar there?” I ask.
    “Who wants to know?  If you are one of Sebastian’s spies, then you can FUCK OFF!  She isn’t here!” Kylie’s voice shouts into the speaker with a bitchy tone.  I can’t help but laugh. She is definitely not a force to be reckoned with, that’s for damn sure. I know she will certainly lay into Sebastian as soon as she gets the chance.
    “It’s me Kylie. It’s Lucas Drake.  I just wanted to check on Skylar and I also have something very important that I need to discuss with her. Is she home?” I ask with a hopeful tone.
    “I’ll be down in just a minute,“ Skylar’s sweet voice echoes across the abandoned lobby.
    I start pacing the lobby for the next few minutes in order to try to work out some of my overwhelming anxiety.