One More Day by Auryn Hadley Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Auryn Hadley
up laying on the couch and letting her eyes slip closed just an hour before Colby was supposed to pick her up for work.
A loud banging pulled her from a near comatose state. Confused, Mack tried to remember where she was, and it came again, this time, a man was yelling her name to go with it.
"C'mon Mack, get your ass out of bed!" Colby yelled, thumping on the door.
In a daze, she staggered across the living room and pulled open the door. "Fuck," she said, positive she looked like a mess. "I sat on the couch for a second, and passed out."
He chuckled. "Yeah, and didn't answer your fucking phone either. Don't scare me like that, babe. Go fix your hair, I'll tell Ryan I'm running late."
"Yeah," she grumbled, staggering into the other room.
It felt like she was trying to walk through water. She found the bathroom, ran a brush through her hair, and debated makeup for a moment, before realizing that she was supposed to be at work in just ten minutes. Instead, she just splashed water on her face and added a flick of mascara, enough so she didn't look like the walking dead.
Staggering back into the living room, she found Colby had made himself at home easily. One foot on the coffee table, he sat sprawled across the sofa. He heard her come back in and glanced over.
"I can see how this thing would eat you. It's fucking awesome."
"It's evil," she agreed, reaching beside him to grab her hoodie from the sofa.
His hand shot out and grabbed her forearm. "What the fuck?" he growled, turning it so he could see the dark bruise. "Someone hit you?"
"Doctor's appointment this morning. They took blood and missed the first time." Well, it was kinda true. They had taken blood, and run a few tests.
"What the fuck time did you get up?" he asked.
Mack just shook her head. "More like when did I go to sleep. The fucking appointment was at eight. I'm as good as I'm going to get. Lets go before Ryan finds a reason to fire me on my first week."
Colby nodded and peeled himself out of the couch. Together, they made their way to his truck. She had to work to keep up. It felt like he was power walking, but she knew it was her own exhaustion. On the drive there, she felt her eyes wanting to close, and struggled to fight it.
Mondays were relatively slow, but they still had a few clients from the weekend who needed a second session or those who'd been put off. A steady trickle started around three o'clock, but oddly slowed down not long after the sun set. It was during the first lull that she caught herself trying to doze off.
Her elbow was propped on the desk, with her chin in her hand, and her eyes began to slip closed. She was nearly asleep before she knew it. Her head began to lean to the side, causing her to jerk awake quickly. Sucking in a breath, her heart racing, she checked to see if anyone had noticed. Colby was at the back of the room messing with his equipment again, and Ryan was no where to be seen.
Rubbing her face, she pulled the large board with Colby's back section out, and decided drawing would keep her awake. She'd made a few lines, and had almost found the zone, when she began to feel warm and bloated. Very warm. It had to be the hoodie, so she peeled out of it, draping it over her chair, and tried to start again.
One line, then the next, the vines tried to fight the mechanization of their oasis. Mack carefully edged each leaf, adding a few thorns and simple flowers, as if the vegetation was mutating when it touched the geometrical lines. She blocked out the way her body was feeling, and her mind finally start to cooperate.
The smell hit her only a second before the cup touched the desk.
Mack dropped the drawing board and shoved herself out of the chair, rushing down the hallway as her stomach revolted. The coffee. The smell of it. She couldn't take it. Unfortunately, her desk was on the complete opposite side of the building from the single
A loud banging pulled her from a near comatose state. Confused, Mack tried to remember where she was, and it came again, this time, a man was yelling her name to go with it.
"C'mon Mack, get your ass out of bed!" Colby yelled, thumping on the door.
In a daze, she staggered across the living room and pulled open the door. "Fuck," she said, positive she looked like a mess. "I sat on the couch for a second, and passed out."
He chuckled. "Yeah, and didn't answer your fucking phone either. Don't scare me like that, babe. Go fix your hair, I'll tell Ryan I'm running late."
"Yeah," she grumbled, staggering into the other room.
It felt like she was trying to walk through water. She found the bathroom, ran a brush through her hair, and debated makeup for a moment, before realizing that she was supposed to be at work in just ten minutes. Instead, she just splashed water on her face and added a flick of mascara, enough so she didn't look like the walking dead.
Staggering back into the living room, she found Colby had made himself at home easily. One foot on the coffee table, he sat sprawled across the sofa. He heard her come back in and glanced over.
"I can see how this thing would eat you. It's fucking awesome."
"It's evil," she agreed, reaching beside him to grab her hoodie from the sofa.
His hand shot out and grabbed her forearm. "What the fuck?" he growled, turning it so he could see the dark bruise. "Someone hit you?"
"Doctor's appointment this morning. They took blood and missed the first time." Well, it was kinda true. They had taken blood, and run a few tests.
"What the fuck time did you get up?" he asked.
Mack just shook her head. "More like when did I go to sleep. The fucking appointment was at eight. I'm as good as I'm going to get. Lets go before Ryan finds a reason to fire me on my first week."
Colby nodded and peeled himself out of the couch. Together, they made their way to his truck. She had to work to keep up. It felt like he was power walking, but she knew it was her own exhaustion. On the drive there, she felt her eyes wanting to close, and struggled to fight it.
Mondays were relatively slow, but they still had a few clients from the weekend who needed a second session or those who'd been put off. A steady trickle started around three o'clock, but oddly slowed down not long after the sun set. It was during the first lull that she caught herself trying to doze off.
Her elbow was propped on the desk, with her chin in her hand, and her eyes began to slip closed. She was nearly asleep before she knew it. Her head began to lean to the side, causing her to jerk awake quickly. Sucking in a breath, her heart racing, she checked to see if anyone had noticed. Colby was at the back of the room messing with his equipment again, and Ryan was no where to be seen.
Rubbing her face, she pulled the large board with Colby's back section out, and decided drawing would keep her awake. She'd made a few lines, and had almost found the zone, when she began to feel warm and bloated. Very warm. It had to be the hoodie, so she peeled out of it, draping it over her chair, and tried to start again.
One line, then the next, the vines tried to fight the mechanization of their oasis. Mack carefully edged each leaf, adding a few thorns and simple flowers, as if the vegetation was mutating when it touched the geometrical lines. She blocked out the way her body was feeling, and her mind finally start to cooperate.
The smell hit her only a second before the cup touched the desk.
Mack dropped the drawing board and shoved herself out of the chair, rushing down the hallway as her stomach revolted. The coffee. The smell of it. She couldn't take it. Unfortunately, her desk was on the complete opposite side of the building from the single