dissonance. (a Böhme novel) by Sarah Buhl Read Free Book Online Page B

checked my clock, it was past eight. I decided I didn’t have to kill whoever was calling then.
    It was Wynn, and I wondered why, because he never called. Talking on the telephone was not something he usually did.
    I ran my hand across my face before answering. “Hey, Wynn.”
    “Hey man, I’m sorry to call so early, but are you going to Karl’s exhibit today?” he asked.
    “Yeah, you guys are going to be there?” I asked. Wynn despised crowds or parties, but since meeting Hannah he was more apt to go to them.
    “Hannah and I wanted to tell everyone something, but didn’t want to say it over the phone,” he said, without any serious inflection because that’s how Wynn was. I imagine his expression was deep in thought. He always had a quiet, serious tone, but it had been less so since Hannah came into his life.
    “Yes, definitely. I’ve wanted to see Karl’s work after he did the painting at the Böhme,” he said in a way that sounded foreign for Wynn. He sounded excited.
    “Sweet. I can’t wait to see you guys. It’s been too long. It was Christmas—wasn’t it?” I asked as I realized it had been five months since I last saw him.
    “Yeah, I know. We’ve been busy working on the house. We're close to finishing now. Gabe sent me a text saying he wanted to have a party out here sometime soon. We could do that in a few weeks.”
    “Party huh? How’s the thought of that affecting you?” I asked with a laugh.
    “Yeah, not too keen on the idea, but hey at least I will be near home and I can decide who’s coming,” he said. “So how was your night?” he asked, trying to change the subject.
    “It was good. I met a chick,” I said with a smile, knowing Wynn appreciated my usual claim of meeting a girl.
    “Yeah, go figure. So who is this chick ?” he asked.
    “Well, she’s a drummer. She’s tough. She has a kick ass car. She’s ten years older than me. I get the feeling she’s funny as hell, but she wants nothing to do with me,” I said with annoyance. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have called her a chick. She’s a woman.”
    “That’s a new one, isn’t it?” he said with a sarcastic laugh. “She sounds interesting. Someone older could be good for you.”
    “Yeah, it’s a new one. My interest isn’t from her disinterest though, so don’t throw that in my face,” I said. “The age thing isn’t a problem for me either. She’s been bitchy, but I can look past it. It just shows she’s opinionated. She doesn’t buy into bullshit, which is a plus.”
    “Speaking of disinterest…” he said with hesitation. “Is Abby still in the picture?”
    “Yeah, we had a mishap last week. I was the drunk dumbass and brought her home with me. But I ended it. If I want to keep my sanity and my pretty face, I’ll keep it ended. My mom was pissed when she found out about my mishap.” I laughed.
    Wynn let out a loud laugh at the mention of my mother. “I’m sure she was… oh hey, Hannah wants to talk to you,” he said.
    “Blake?” Hannah asked on the other side of the phone.
    “Yes, Hannah,” I said with a smile.
    “You didn’t—you know, with Abby?” she asked.
    “Why do the two of you have the need to ask me for details on my sexual relations?” I asked with a laugh.
    “Because Blake—you need a good girl. You gotta get away from her,” Hannah said as a swat sounded in the background and Wynn started laughing.
    “Yeah, it’s ended,” I said and Wynn spoke again farther away from the phone.
    “So Wynn just said there’s someone else?” Hannah asked with excitement.
    I laughed. “Not yet. I only started talking to a woman last night.”
    “ Woman ?” she asked with a smile in her voice. “I’ve never heard you use that word before Blake. I’ve heard chick and girl. Then there was that one time you said bird, which was weird. But I’ve never heard you use the word woman.”
    “Oh, how highly you think of me, Hannah.” I laughed. “Yes, she is a woman. She’s out of my