If I Break by Portia Moore Read Free Book Online Page B

you’ve been there. You probably understand.”
    He nods.
    “It’s weird how you don’t appreciate something until it’s gone,” I continue. “When I was younger, I always dreamed about coming to Chicago and never looking back. But now that I’m here, I can’t wait until I’m able to go back for a visit.”
    “So you’re a small-town girl?” he jokes.
    “I guess you can say that,” I laugh. “Is that a bad thing?”
    “Not at all,” he replies convincingly.
    I glance down as my phone vibrates. I look at the caller ID and see that it’s Hillary. Why didn’t I turn it off and why isn’t she texting me? I roll my eyes.
    “I better get that,” I say with a sigh. Pressing the answer key, I say, “Hello?”
    “Hi! How’s it going so far?” she asks, excited and loud. I know he can hear her through the phone.
    I look at him and he smiles.
    “Excuse me a minute.” I laugh as I stand up and walk to another part of the restaurant.
    “Everything is fine,” I tell her.
    “So what did you do? Where’d you go? Have you kissed him? Tell me everything!” she demands.
    “This couldn’t have waited until I got home?” I laugh.
    “Well, yeah. It’s one o’clock, and being that I’m the best person in the world, I wanted to act motherly and make sure you’re okay, of course.” More like nosily. I smile.
    “Thank you, Mom. Wait, did you say one?” I ask in disbelief.
    “Yeah! This is the longest you’ve ever been out, other than when you have to work! That’s why I thought I’d check on you. Oh, and FYI—your boss man has called here three times. He wants you to call him ASAP or something like that.”
    What does he want? “Okay, thanks, Hill. I’m going to hang up on you in about three seconds. But I’ll talk to you when I get home,” I inform her jokingly.
    “Wait! Before you do that, you have to tell me if you’re going to sleep with him,” she says giddily. I roll my eyes and remain silent.
    “Come on, Lauren! I’m bored as hell! Please, give me some kind of amusement. Give me something. I’m going to be here all alone tonight.” I’m thankful to hear that. Now I know I can get a good night's sleep.
    “Hillary, I haven’t even kissed him yet,” I say, almost disappointed at the last part.
    “Well, the night—or morning—is still young,” she sings.
    “We’ll see. I’ve got to go. Talk to you later, Hill.”
    “Yes, because you will tell me everything, or I’m jumping in your bed with you in it,” she jokes. I think she’s joking, at least.
    “Okay, Hillary,” I say before I hang up.
    I walk back over to the table.
    “Everything okay?” he asks.
    “Yeah. Hillary checking up on me.” I laugh.
    He looks at his watch and frowns. “Yeah, we better get out of here.” He stands up, puts on his jacket, and pulls out his wallet.
    “You know, I can pay for this. You’ve already paid for everything else,” I say, getting my purse.
    “I asked you on the date. That’s the point.” He laughs.
    “But—” I protest.
    “When you ask me out on a date then you can pay.” He winks at me as he puts a fifty on the table. I know our food didn’t cost that much.
    He looks up and sees my surprise.
    “Don’t worry. I have a pretty decent job.” He throws me a smile before he leads the way to the front door.
    I quickly pull on my jacket and follow him.
    “I never asked—what do you do?” I say as I head through the open door he’s holding for me. He ignores my question, distracting me with the thrill of the bike ride.
    ***
    I open my eyes, feeling the bike’s engine turn off. The lull of the engine and smooth ride almost put me to sleep. I look over to see that we're in front of my apartment building. I let go of him and get off the bike. I have an urge to stretch. We’ve been on this bike for over an hour.
    “I have to tell you I’ve fallen in love with this machine,” I say, only half-joking.
    He looks at it and smiles. “She has that way about her,” he jokes