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EXCERPT
Copyright ยฉ 2023 by Penelope Ward
Josh sat at the table, casually having coffee as I walked into the house after my drive home from the salon. The smell of cigarettes emanated from him. He hadnโt smelled like that since the first day he arrived.
โWhereโs Scottie?โ I asked.
โIn his room,โ he answered without making eye contact.
I stated the obvious. โYou smell like smoke.โ
โMust be the firewood.โ He brought his mug to his mouth.
โBullsh*t. The pellet stove doesnโt emit any fumes.โ
โYeah. I caved and had one. Big deal.โ He pointed toward the door. โI did it outside, though, while keeping an eye on Scottie through the window.โ
โYouโd been doing so well. What happened?โ
He still wasnโt looking at me, and instead stared straight ahead. โJust human, I guess.โ
Then something in front of him on the table caught my attention: pieces of ripped pages piled atopโฆmy journal.
A rush of adrenaline shot through me. โWhy do you have that?โ
โItโs apparently your diary.โ
โIโm quite aware of that.โ My heart began to pound. โYou were snooping in my room?โ
He shot daggers at me. โThink, Carly. Of the two guys in this house, who is the one more likely to have been ransacking your room?โ
โYou were supposed to be watching him while I was at the salon,โ I yelled.
โGod forbid I take a piss in peace. Is it not bad enough that Iโm showering with him now? Getting my balls tugged?โ
I wanted to laugh, but this moment was far from funny.
โScottie ripped those pages out?โ
โThe notebook is bright orange, like his iPad cover. Probably caught his attention. The drawer next to your bed was open, so he must have gone in there. I assume thatโs where you kept it. Admittedly, Iโd been letting him hang out in your room, but you sometimes do, too. I went to check on him, make sure he wasnโt doing anything bad, and found those pages strewn about.โ A vein popped in his neck.
Josh was angry. Why? I shouldโve been the angry one.
โDid you read it?โ
โI only happened to see what was on the pages he ripped. I didnโt read anything else once I figured out what the hell it was.โ
This is bad. Starting to sweat, I asked, โBut how much did you see?โ
He stood up from his seat and slowly approached me. With each step he took toward me, I took one back. When we could go no farther, he placed his arms on either side of me, leaning his hands against the wall. And I forgot how to breathe.
Fear. Arousal. Embarrassment. You name it, I was feeling it right now. Every emotion hit me at once.
His breath grazed my face. โHow much did I actually see?โ He paused. โEnough to know you think Iโm an evil pig.โ
Ugh. No. Now his anger made sense.
When he backed away, I walked over to the ripped pages on the table and sifted through them.
โItโs the last one, for reference,โ he noted.
I read what Iโd written the other night.
AUTHOR BIO