Experiment in Terror 06.5 And With Madness Comes the Light by Karina Halle Read Free Book Online Page B

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far from my apartment and at 6:00 p.m. it was absolutely bustling.
She looked delicious as usual, dressed from head to toe in a
form-fitting black dress that gripped her hips and set off her
vampire-pale skin.
    She got out of her chair and went for a hug,
her smile wider than normal. She wrapped her arms around me for a
few tight seconds, then she stepped out of the embrace and placed
her soft fingers around my bicep and gave another, heartier
squeeze.
    “So you’ve been sticking to it,” she
remarked, looking proud. “Good for you. You look fantastic.”
    I felt fantastic. Okay, that was bullshit.
But I felt better than I had in weeks.
    “You look gorgeous,” I told her honestly and
sat down at our cozy booth.
    She gave me a coy wave, simultaneously
brushing off the compliment and reveling in it as only she knew
how, and ordered herself a drink when the waiter came by. I ordered
a Jack and Coke, naturally.
    She waited for the waiter to leave before
she looked at me, surprised. “Really?”
    I leaned back against the soft leather seat.
“What?”
    “I thought you were turning over a new
leaf.”
    I snorted. “I have. I’m going to the gym
every day, running, I quit smoking, I quit my meds. I can’t give up
all my vices. I’m not a superhero.”
    She twisted her cherry red lips around. She
knew old habits died hard and was probably thinking back to
Christmas when she and Em had to come rescue me. Man, that felt
like ages ago.
    “That’s...all done with,” I added, feeling
defensive. “You know I was in a bad place at that time.”
    She smiled sadly and gave me a slow nod. “I
know. I’m not judging. Frankly, I don’t think I could hang out with
you if you weren’t the vice type of guy.”
    “Well then, you’ll be pleased to know that
I’m still drinking and I’m still wanking to porn.”
    “That’s my boy,” she said appraisingly. The
waiter came back with our drinks and we said cheers over it.
    “To friends,” she said.
    “To friends,” I agreed.
    I took a big slug of my drink, the bubbles
fizzing my nose, causing me to tense up. With watering eyes I
looked at Rebecca. She was staring at my arms with an odd look on
her face.
    “What?” I asked.
    She shrugged. “I don’t know, Dex, your arms,
your shoulders...you look really good. It’s nice to see.”
    “Good enough to make you switch sides?” I
joked.
    She took a sly sip of her drink. I had
missed the harmless flirting with her. I’d missed her in general.
Hanging out with her, Dean, and Seb made me realize how badly I’d
neglected my friends when I was with Jenn. It sounded cliché as
fuck and I hated that I’d actually missed out on this earlier.
    “Well you better not tell Em then,” I
continued. “Actually, maybe you should tell her. See if she wants
to get in on the Dex action, too.” I winked at her.
    She giggled. “Oh, you. Once a pig, always a
pig. At least that hasn’t changed.”
    I gave her a forced smile even though what
she said stabbed at me a bit. That was the thing with Rebecca. She
still felt some kinship with Perry, the very thing I still felt,
and the fact that we were both to blame for our relationship’s
destruction was always on the surface.
    Her face fell, which meant I wasn’t doing a
very good job of keeping my emotions under wraps. It was harder now
when I was off the medication. I felt everything tenfold, and it
was impossible to ignore at times. I felt sorry for women for
having to deal with this emotional shit most of their lives.
    I cleared my throat and anxiously picked up
the menu, absently looking for something to eat. Going off the meds
also made me hungry—too hungry—another reason why working out was
so important now.
    “So how is Jenn?” I asked innocently. I
didn’t really want to know but I’d asked anyway. Seriously, I
should get points for this. I hadn’t asked about her since the
breakup.
    So, understandably, Rebecca looked a bit
shocked. She lowered her voice and leaned in