Ten Days of Perfect (November Blue #1)

“OK, Ember, you break up with your boyfriend and I slide in to bed with you that night? I’ll pass on going straight to Hell, thanks,” he laughed as he stood.

Adrian knew me too well; I’d be so pissed if I woke up this morning next to him.

“Can we get the hell out of here?” I pulled my Princeton hoodie over my head, “or do you have all kinds of DROP shit to attend to today?”

“I’m taking a personal day. So, yes, let’s go . . . Do you want to talk about last night?”

“Adrian, have I ever wanted to talk about any last night?” I smirked.

He stifled a chuckle, “I’m serious. That was some heavy shit . . .”

“I know . . . and I’m not ready to think about it again, yet. Can we get the hell out of here?”

The truth is, all I’d done since I woke up was think about it. I thought about love, loss, betrayal and pain. Bo trampled my trust, and I still couldn’t piece it all together in my brain. I couldn’t look at him anymore; not the same way I did that first night at Finnegan’s. It was all different now. None of it could be taken back. Adrian caught my pensive stare at the wall and proceeded to load our things in to his car.

I thumbed through my phone as Adrian started his car and pulled down Main Street. I had a text from Monica that she sent last night:

Monica: Ember, I talked to Adrian. Get sleep, I’ll be at your apartment waiting for you tomorrow.



I had an email from my boss:

November,

I received a call and email from David Bryson very early this morning. I also spoke with Bo. Take the week off and call me when you can. I’m sorry all of this happened. –Carrie.



Finally, there was a text from Bo:

Bowan: I know you’ll ignore me if I call, and I don’t dare try to see you in person right now. I love you November. When I said forever, I meant it. I’ll never stop loving you. Please forgive me. Forgive me.



Sleep didn’t erase the emotional pain, and I bit my lip as I slid my phone back in to my bag.

“Hey, what’s in that bag?” I asked Adrian, noting a paper gift-bag on top of my suitcase.

Adrian shrugged, “Bo said it’s yours - that you never opened the card. If you want me to take it-”

“No,” I interrupted, “I’ll just open it . . .” I hesitated as I ran my thumb under the seal.

The square card held a CD. I gestured to Adrian to put the CD in his player as I read the note Bo wrote:

November Blue,

You’ve given me the most perfect ten days that anyone could ever dream of having. I love you more each day, and plan to love you more for however many days I have left on this Earth.



The note slipped through my hands and hit the floor of the car as the music started, and familiar voices filled the space around us,

“Don’t know what time it is, I’ve been up for way to long

and I’m too tired to sleep . . .”



“That’s me . . . and Monica. . . and Bo, from the first night we sang together at Finnegan’s. It was the first night I met Bo. It’s The Wailin’ Jennys - Josh must have recorded it . . .” I pushed Adrian’s hand out of the way as he tried to turn off the music. “Don’t . . . we sounded awesome.” I managed a grin as I leaned in to the headrest and watched Concord fly past my window.

“ . . . then maybe I’ll walk a while, feel the earth beneath me . . .”

The song slapped me across the face as I heard Bo’s voice join mine, a cappella, through the speakers. I reached for the card on the floor and opened the composition book to slide it in. As I opened the front cover, I noticed there was writing on the left side, opposite Bo’s transcription of the lullaby:

“There is the kiss of welcome and of parting, the long, lingering, loving, present one; the stolen, or the mutual one; the kiss of love, of joy, and of sorrow; the seal of promise and receipt of fulfillment.” ~Thomas C. Haliburton

I didn’t feel Adrian pull the car over, but I knew we were stopped. My face was buried in his chest; his embrace tried to hush my body-quaking sobs right there on the side of the road.

My soul felt more battered than my body, but it begged me to stay; to find Bo and try to understand just one more time. My mind, however, couldn’t process anymore hurt - any more lies. I handed my soul to Bo Cavanaugh, and was given bloodied knees and a busted face in return. I was broken. For the first time in my life I was broken, and it was at the hands of the cruel temptress “Reckless Abandon.” Our souls had gone out ahead of us and made plans they couldn’t promise they’d keep, and I was left in a sobbing heap.

“Shh,” Adrian whispered in to the top of my head. “It’s going to be alright.”

“What if it’s not? I loved him, Adrian. What am I supposed to do?” I had no strength to pull my head from his chest - I kept sobbing.

Adrian rested his chin on the top of my head, and I felt him shrug. There weren’t any words that could resuscitate my soul - not today.

Somewhere, in between my incoherent wails and whispers of reassurance from Adrian, loneliness let herself in and swallowed my soul.





**Look for “Reckless Abandon”, book two in the November Blue series, coming in March 2013**