Chapter 17: Morning After

I woke up married to my worst enemy for the second time in my life, and he was asleep on my arm.

The clock on the nightstand said 9:14.

The alarm had gone off at six. We had both reached over and turned it off without opening our eyes.

My phone was buzzing on the floor, face down, in a pile of one sock and two pillows.

I got it with my toes.

Nine missed calls. Seven were from Dot.

The newest message was from Selena, with a heart.

Filed it myself at 8:02 since you were running late! Don't worry about a thing. Coffee's on me. xx

I looked at it for a while.

"She filed," I said.

Gus opened one eye.

"Let her," he said into my shoulder. "We have forty pages and a photograph of her binder."

"We broke into her office."

"Technically you broke in. I held the flashlight."

"Technically you are a bad influence."

He smiled against my arm. His chipped tooth showed.

I had not planned what came next. I turned over and put my hand flat on his chest, and the smile went away.

"Hatt," he said. "Your phone."

"It can wait."

"It's my mother."

"She'll live," I said, and kissed him.

It was slow this time. The light came through the curtains in stripes, and his hands moved over me as if there were no store to open.

I got on top of him and took him inside me.

The bed squeaked in a new place, and we both laughed into each other's mouths.

It was short, and bright, and entirely worth it.

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