Free Poseidon (The God Chronicles) by Kamery Solomon Page B

effort to shut his ranting out.
    Then, just as suddenly as it started, his yelling stopped.
    “I didn’t mean that last part. I just—” A sigh of frustration escaped him. “I can’t control my feelings, Audrey. I don’t want to look at you and think of every place I could kiss, or how much I want to hold your hand. I’m tired of trying to fight it off though.”
    I didn’t respond, his confession having shocked me further.
    “I’m not looking for anything serious,” he continued. “I’m not even wanting a one night stand. But then I look at you and I . . . I don’t know Audrey. Don’t leave me out here alone. Not after all I’ve said.”
    I removed the pillow from my face and held my left hand up. The wedding ring on my finger still glittered like the day I’d been given it.
    “I can’t,” I said softly. “I’m not ready.”
     
     

     
     
     
     
    Chapter Nine
     
    To say that Sy’s confession strained our friendship was an understatement. Pretty much, there was no more friendship.  I avoided him, he would knock on my door every night and ask me to let him in or go somewhere. It was horrible.
    I understood what he had said all the same. The idea of throwing caution to the wind and going with him was very appealing to me. Whenever I would think about it, or put my hand on the door to let him in, I would catch a glimpse of my ring. Try as I might, I couldn’t bring myself to take it off yet. It was starting to feel like a prison.
    I was extremely grateful when it was time for me to go back to my job at the high school. I had a reason to go somewhere and my old friends were there. It was true that they acted like I would burst into tears at any time, but they were better than nothing.
    As I sat down behind my desk after my absence, I breathed a sigh of relief.
    Finally. Something normal and safe.
    A few other secretaries came in and settled down as well, ready to field the calls we would be getting about enrollment over the next few weeks, until classes started.
    “Hi, Audrey!” Amy, the bubbly woman I shared the corner with swooped down and gave me a big hug. “You look so wonderful! How was your summer? Did everything go okay?”
    There it was—the one question tacked onto the end that basically meant , “You didn’t try to kill yourself, did you?”
    “It was great,” I said, choosing not to answer her last question. “How was yours?”
    “Oh, let me tell you all about it!”
    And there was the second part of the “check up on Audrey” program. It entailed talking about anything and everything that didn’t have to do with water, husbands, babies, or me.
    “And we’re expecting a baby! Oh—” Her rambling cut off suddenly, realizing she had delved too far into her own happiness. “I’m so sorry, Audrey. I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that.”
    Well, at least I’d gotten all three out of the way first thing in the morning.
    The day went smoothly, with hardly any more “Audrey” moments, which I was extremely grateful for. I was so sick of everyone apologizing to me for things that weren’t their fault. Even Sy had apologized profusely when he’d discovered I’d lost my husband.
    On my way out the door, I bent to take a drink from the water fountain. Stupidly, I managed to shoot myself in the face with the stream and choked as it ran out my nose and mouth. Suddenly, a faint memory filled my mind. It was more a memory of a sensation—of water being drained out of me. Or was it pulled?
    “Are you okay, Audrey?” Amy asked from behind me as I stood, one hand on my head.
    “Yeah,” I said slowly. “I thought I remembered something.”
    “Well, that’s good,” she rushed, moving around me in a desperate attempt to escape, before I brought up anything that happened to me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “Okay,” I said, still standing by the fountain.
    Water doesn’t get pulled out of you from CPR, it gets pushed out. Right? What I’d remembered didn’t make