Free The Future of Our Past (The Remembrance Trilogy) by Kahlen Aymes

Cranky Pants. But Ryan, I am in Boston,” she said suggestively and scooted her chair closer around the table. “Don’t forget that.”
    Just focus on the pages, Ryan. And get away from this bitch as fast as you possibly can.

    I was exhausted after a full day of working with Mike on location. The apartment was dark, so Ellie was either out with Harris or in bed. I turned the small lamp on in the entryway and threw the mail on the side table.
    I loved my job, but hated the long hours and never seeing Ryan. I longed for the days when I’d call him and within minutes he was plopping down next to me. Lately, we weren’t even talking much.
    Like today . I missed him so much it was practically unbearable.
    My heart thumped inside my chest at the sound of that woman in the background. Things were getting weird, which I should expect, with the distance and lack of communication between us.
    This was the longest we’d ever gone without seeing each other and there was so much we didn’t know. For instance, what were we to each other and who was that woman? Was he dating someone? What was he doing with his time and who was he doing it with? Was he lonely? Did he miss me?
    Maybe I didn’t want to know. It was my own damn fault. I should have taken the opportunity to have him that last night in Boston. Then maybe I wouldn’t be feeling sorry for myself and he’d have no doubt that I wanted him.
    I kicked the shoes off my aching feet and wandered into my bedroom, unbuttoning my blouse and going into my closet to hang up the jacket to my plum colored suit. The closet was full of similar outfits. Thank God Ellie had connections in the fashion industry. She set me up with everything I could possibly need. I had two dozen suits from the hottest designers and just as many pairs of the latest shoes and bags lined the shelves.
    I shed the rest of my clothes and padded into the bathroom and turned on the water in the tub. I took a towel off the rack and, wrapping it around me, went to get a glass of wine. The bright numbers on the microwave clock glared at me. 11 PM . I silently groaned, letting my head fall back on my way back to the bathroom.
    So much for Ryan calling later . It was 2 AM in Boston.
    I lit the candle and sank down into the hot, scented water. With the wine balancing in my right hand, I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind of work, of Mike’s blatant flirting, and of missing Ryan.
    Missing Ryan .
    I sighed and brought my free hand to my temple. My head ached and my fingers pushed to offset the pressure. Was I was trying to erase the pain or the sound of that irritating voice behind Ryan’s on the telephone? I struggled to picture the face and body that went with it.
    Ugh. I was back in college again, alone and longing for him while he was with some other woman. If being on opposite coasts didn’t change that shit, what would?
    I drew a shaky breath. Ryan and I needed to talk. This wasn’t working and it was driving me crazy; this helpless feeling that made me sick to my stomach. Since I wasn’t moving to New York anytime soon, the only way to avoid it was to create even more distance from him, and know even less of what was going on in his life. But, was knowing less even possible? Considering how we are at the polar opposite of where we were two months ago, I didn’t think so. That amazing night in Boston… being so close to him, thinking we were finally going to be more, had completely messed up our best friend dynamic.
    Now this woman; what I didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt me.
    Yeah, right.
    What did I expect? I took this job and was devoting every waking hour to it. I did this knowing he’d wanted me in New York.
    He was beautiful and intelligent, with everything to offer. Women must be throwing themselves at him, and one thing was certain, he was all man. I couldn’t expect that he’d be celibate, especially when we hadn’t even talked about the state of our relationship.
    I’d placed my Blackberry