Page 12 of Kissing the Shore

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“Are you coming back in?”

“No. I have something I need to take care of. Can you kiss mom for me? Tell her I’ll call her later?”

“Eric,” She whines.

“I came! Is that not enough for today, Em?”

“Yeah, I guess.” She sighs, “Be careful. Call me if you need me, ok?”

I end the call and walk to my truck in the parking garage down the street, wishing I could reel my mind back in.

Now that Hanna is gone, I can’t help but question everything else in my life. I shut the door and crank the ignition, forcing myself to drive. Just go home, Eric, I tell myself.

And I should. Go home, I mean.

Instead, I find myself sitting outside Karly’s condo like a fucking creep. I’m not even sure she went home. Shit, for all I know, she could be with someone else.

No, fuck that.

It messes with my head too much to even think that. Not that it should. It’s not like I have any right to feel any type of way about her. Let alone jealous.

I stare into her window that I can see from my parking spot and notice a soft glow behind the curtains, and I wonder if she’s inside. I feel so bad for putting her in the situation that I put her in the other night, but what’s worse is that I wanted it.

I pull out my phone, ready to message her, but Hanna’s name appears on the screen. Her messages sitting there from the past week, unopened.

I scroll down to Karly’s name and type out a message.

Me: Next time you decide to go on a blind date, let’s run a background check.

I stare at the screen and feel a little giddy when the three small dots appear, indicating that she’s responding.

Jolene: I think I’m done.

Me: Done?

Jolene: Yeah, it’s a waste of time.

Because they will never be good enough. I think to myself.

Me: You deserve better.

Jolene: It seems like a lost cause at this point.

Me: I know how you feel.

Jolene: Shut up. It’s not even close to the same thing.

Me: We’re both alone, aren’t we?

I look back up at her window, wondering if she’s sitting on her bed.

Jolene: Hanna loved you. No one’s ever loved me like that. Not really.

Me: Didn’t really matter in the end, did it? She loved him more.

Jolene: I guess that’s true. You deserve a better ending than that.