Free The Crimson Bond by Erika Trevathan

of me loved Brad and always would, but now that I had my feelings for Alex to compare it to, I knew that what I felt for Brad was more the love of a friend. I hoped that he would find someone one day that would share the same dreams for life that he did. I took a deep breath in preparation for what was sure to be an uncomfortable conversation.
            "Hey Brad, how are things?"
            He seemed to hesitate before answering and when he did I could detect undertones of sadness. "Well, I'm missing you. I'm still hoping that you're hating Charlotte and thinking about moving back."
                Okay, so this was going to be really uncomfortable. "Umm, no not even close. I really love it here. I'm happy." How could I even begin to describe what was going on in my life right now. Better to just be vague and make it clear I had no plans on going back to Oakwood and no plans to renew our relationship. It would be cruel to let him go on thinking we might have a chance.
            "I still think once the newness wears off you'll miss our life together. People here are asking what happened with us and every time they do I feel like I've been punched in the gut."
            Yep, this had to end right now. I might as well rip the band aide off, so to speak.
            "Brad, I've met someone else. I know it's only been a week, but my feelings for him make it pretty clear to me that we both made a good decision when we decided to go our own way. Believe it or not, you made your choice when you weren't willing to compromise on our life together. I still love you, but not in the same way anymore. I hope we can still be good friends. I think of you as my family and the thought of not having you in my life, in some aspect, is heart wrenching."
            The pause was so long I began to wonder if he had hung up on me. When he finally did speak, his voice was thick with emotion.
            "I know that part of the reason we aren't together right now is my fault, but this hurts Brooke. All I can do is hope you realize this is a mistake. Just know that I will always love you and regardless of what happens I will always be here for you."
Tears welled up in my eyes and I couldn't help but feel pain that I was hurting him.           "Thank you, Brad.”
                "Goodbye Brooke."
                After our conversation had ended I spent a few minutes lying in the dark trying to fall asleep. I just had so much on my mind that there was no way that I was going to drift off anytime soon. I assumed that if I didn't calm myself down Alex would be wondering why I was so anxious. Thinking to make myself a cup of tea, I headed to the kitchen. I found Anna was already sitting at the round glass table eating a bowl of cereal. She was dressed in a pair of pink, silk button down pajamas with her blonde hair piled haphazardly on top of her head. When she saw me wondering over to the cabinets to drag out the tea kettle she raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't sleep?"
            I sighed deeply and put the pot of water on the stove and turned on the islet. Grabbing a couple of cookies out of the jar on the counter I made my way over to the table and sat down across from her. She grinned between bites. "Tea and cookies at almost midnight? Must be bad."
            "You have no idea."
            "I think I might. Paul called me tonight to tell me what had happened with Ethan. It must have really shaken Alex up. Paul said he was in a rage when he talked to him. Brooke, you know you can't put off being changed much longer, right?"
            "I know. And stalling is risky, but I at least need a chance to get things squared away at work. I can't just not show up anymore. I've worked too hard to get that position. Alex is going to let Julie know this week that he's transferring me to a different