I let out a frustrated sigh. There are already hundreds of comments on under hers agreeing with her.
This is the last thing I need right now. The last thing I want is for Carlie to be dragged into another Instagram drama—this time with Jillian.
It’s bad enough that I still haven’t told Carlie I dated her.
I lock my phone, tucking it away with a mix of annoyance and concern. I’ll have to deal with Jillian later, but right now, my focus needs to be on Carlie and the time we’re spending together.
Shaking off the unease, I head downstairs to take my own quick shower as I wait for Carlie. It’s a rinse-off, but I turn the water as cold as I can manage and try to force myself to regain some of the lightness I felt just moments ago.
I focus on the excitement of our upcoming trip to the zoo and even the feeling that we might take this relationship to another level soon.
But Jillian’s message lingers in the back of my mind, an unwelcome shadow on an otherwise bright day.
By the time I step out of my shower, I’m nowhere near as present as I’d like to be. I wrap a towel around my waist and trudge into the bedroom to hunt for clothes.
It only takes me a minute to get dressed and I settle on the couch to wait for Carlie.
When she emerges from the shower, looking refreshed and radiant, I stand up and push all thoughts of Jillian aside. This afternoon is about us, and I’m not going to let anything ruin that.
“Ready for the zoo?” I ask, trying to inject as much enthusiasm into my voice as possible.
She hesitates for a brief moment, then nods, her smile infectious. “Absolutely. Can’t wait.”
We leave the house, stepping into the sunlight and the promise of a new adventure. As we drive, I steal glances at Carlie, her presence a comforting antidote to the chaos of my thoughts.
However, with every glance, part of me wonders:What would she think if she knew I dated Jillian? That we were nearly engaged? Would she think I hid it from her? Worse yet, would she believe the lies Jillian is beginning to spread?
I keep these thoughts to myself, not wanting to spoil our day. However, there’s this terrible unease that tightens in my gut. It feels like I’m on the edge of something—either a wonderful new chapter with Carlie or an inevitable confrontation that could change everything.
CHAPTER24
Carlie
We’re strolling through the Duluth Zoo, but I’m on a mission to chip away at the tension I sense in Adam.
He’s been off since I kinda sorta tried to hint that he join me in the shower earlier. I admit, it wasn’t my smoothest or clearest of invitations. But it was an attempt at washing away the mixture of sexual tension and straight-up tension I’ve been feeling.
There’s something about that man that makes me feel so comfortable—so at peace with myself—that a part of me doesn’t even care if we realize we’ve done this before anymore.
In fact,notknowing if Adam is the man from Nocté is starting to eat away at me. When the realization first hit—I didn’t want to know.
I didn’t wanthimto know, either.
At least, if it were true.
Now, it feels like if I don’t know, things will be far, far worse.
I need to mentally prepare for the fallout and there’s only one way to do that.
I need to know if he has the tribal tattoo on his lower abdomen.
And the only way to do that is …
Instead of joining me, however, I showered alone and came out to one hell of a Debbie Downer. It was like someone had run over his dog while I was in there and it doesn’t seem like he wants to let it go, either. It’s made the whole day trip a little awkward.
We walk through the first couple of zoo enclosures in damn near silence and if anyone knows me, they know silence is my enemy.
“Is there something bothering you?” I ask, hoping that it might allow him the opportunity to talk about whatever’s bugging him.