Free Beautifully Unbroken by D.M. Brittle Page A

slowly. “So this won’t be awkward?”
    “It won’t be awkward.” He smiled.
    “Good.”
    “Good,” he agreed.
    “Good night, Cooper,” I said before hopping out of his car and heading into the building and straight for the lift. I couldn’t believe what I had done to Cooper, the one man here in New York who had always treated me so well. I had used him, and I was thankful he had understood. I just hoped that we could continue with our friendship the same from now on without any awkwardness. Only time would tell.

5
    I had slept for nine solid hours. I don’t know how I had managed to switch off after the previous night’s events. I had lay in bed thinking about Blake and Cooper and the mess that I had created around myself, whilst wondering what the days ahead would bring. My mind had gone into overdrive, but somehow sleep had won me over and shut off my overactive mind.
    When I woke I decided to go for a jog, partly hoping to run into Cooper to check things were still okay between us, but there was no sign of him. The track that he took every morning was almost deserted. I couldn’t help the disappointment that I felt; I really wanted to know that we were okay. I decided I would call him in the next few hours.
    Running alone gave me plenty of time to think about Blake. As much as I wanted him, and as much as my chest hurt just thinking about how good his lips felt against mine the night before, I decided that I needed to forget about him and move on. Only a few weeks ago I had been prepared to stay in London. Had I stayed there, I would have had no choice but to forget about him; I could apply the same to New York. Yes, I would be closer to him, but in order for me to avoid getting hurt yet again, I would make myself move on. Today would mark the start of my “move on and forget about Blake” plan. I just hoped I was strong enough to get through it unscathed.
    I was thankful for the busy week ahead that I had planned. The following week, I would be auditioning for a small part in one of NBC’s most popular comedy shows, Perfect Alibi .
    Perfect Alibi was filmed in front of a live studio audience, and I had never filmed in front of a live audience before, so I was both excited and nervous, but I desperately wanted to nail my audition. I needed my new life here to be successful.
    Later that afternoon, I would be receiving scripts to run through before meeting with the casting director and main star of the show, Marcus Hardy, the following week. I was going to be the perfect student; I wanted this job, and the distraction that came with it.
     
    Casey crawled back into the apartment late in the afternoon sporting dark sunglasses and an obvious hangover.
    I couldn’t help but laugh. When Casey celebrated, she would do it in style and would always spend the whole next day regretting it. She would always vow “never again”, and of course that vow was broken by the next time a celebration came around.
    She slumped down onto the sofa opposite and swung her legs up onto the chair. “Urrggh never. Ever. Again.”
    “Are you only just getting back?” I asked, shocked.
    “No, but I’ve only had a couple of hours sleep; Alex has his family over, and I can’t deal with them on a good day, let alone a day when I’m dying of alcohol poisoning,” she sighed.
    I laughed. “No consideration for a hung-over Casey? Tut tut..”
    “Yeah well, never again I tell you.”
    “Yes, okay,” I laughed before turning my attention back to the TV. I was watching as many episodes of Perfect Alibi as I could fit in, getting an idea of how it worked and the storylines that they used. We didn’t get this show in the UK, so it was all completely new to me.
    “You want me to get you anything?” I asked, amused. “Coffee? Water? An aspirin maybe? Hair of the dog even?” I laughed out loud as Casey swung a pillow straight for me; it skimmed my head and landed behind the sofa.
    “Why do you look so fresh and awake?” she