Page 94 of Mortala
Kaitlin looks between the two of us, confusion immediately taking over her expression, and I already know she’s thinking the exact same thing I am. It makes me smile despite everything.
No matter what happens, she’s always in my corner. I never have to question whose side she’s on, and that’s a rare kind of comfort.
“Because he gave it to me before we left today and told me to take you on a shopping spree.”
A kaleidoscope of butterflies erupts in my stomach all over again because this man is just too much.
I can’t stop the grin that spreads across my face, and Morgan notices immediately, giving me a knowing smile in return.
He’s not perfect, and neither am I. We’ve both made mistakes, we’ve both hurt each other. But somehow, through all of it, he’s still the person who makes me feel the safest.
“Well, girl, you know I love spending a man’s money, so count me in!”
We’ve officially beento three different stores, and the trunk is now overflowing with boutique bags. There are so many that I’m not even sure we could squeeze another one back there if we tried.
We’re walking through the fourth store when it hits me that I haven’t talked to Miles once since we left.
I hope he isn’t upset about how much I’ve spent on his card. I honestly have no idea what the total is at this point, but judging by the number of bags currently sitting in my car, I feel like we’re dangerously close to the four-figure mark.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and glance at the screen, checking to see if Miles has sent me anything.
Nothing. Not a single message.
I stare at the empty screen for a moment, my thumb hovering over his name as I debate whether I should text him first. I don’t know why I’m hesitating. It’s not like we haven’t talked before. But after everything, there’s still this tiny part of me that worries I’m bothering him.
Before I can decide, Kaitlin walks over with Morgan, her brows pulling together the second she notices my expression.
“Hey, you alright?” she asks, placing a hand on my back.
“Yeah,” I say, forcing a small smile. “I just haven’t really talked to Miles all day. I wasn’t sure if I should text him or not.”
Kaitlin immediately scrunches her nose, her face twisting into the same look of disapproval she always gets whenever Miles comes up. She rolls her eyes, and even though I know she has her reasons, it still bothers me.
I know she doesn’t like him. I know she doesn’t trust him. But he’s still my boyfriend, and seeing how much she openly dislikes him hurts more than I want to admit.
Morgan shifts beside us, suddenly looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. I can tell she feels uncomfortable being caught in the middle of this conversation, but thankfully, she doesn’t say anything about it.
“Why don’t you stop thinking about Miles for the day and just spend time with us?” Kaitlin says. “We’re having a girls’ day. Don’t worry about him. I can see if there’s a party or something happening tonight. Unless you don’t want to go out, then we can just stay in and have a sleepover at your place?”
I’ve never had a sleepover before. There was always too much happening at home for something like that. Too much chaos, too many things I couldn’t explain. And once the rumors started spreading about my family, the only friend I really had left was Austin.
The idea of a sleepover sounds so simple and normal. And maybe that’s why it appeals to me so much. I’m sure Miles wouldn’t mind if he knew I’d never had one before.
“Actually, a sleepover sounds nice,” I say, smiling. “Let’s do it.”
The entire drive back to the safe house is spent with me worrying about whether Miles is going to be upset about Kaitlin coming over, while Morgan repeatedly reminds me not to overthink it.
“He’ll get over it,” she tells me. “Seriously, Maddie. It’s not a big deal.”
She’s probably right. I can’t picture Miles staying mad at me for very long, especially over something as small as this.
Before we get home, though, we make a quick stop at the grocery store to stock up on an absolutely ridiculous amount of junk food and snacks for our sleepover. Kaitlin and Morgan both insist it’s necessary, and luckily, they also insist on paying, which is great because I’m already feeling guilty enough about spending so much of Miles’ money.
Julius greets us the moment we pull into the circle drive, just like he always does. He walks around the car and opens my door before offering me a polite smile.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Madelyn. Would you like me to grab your bags for you?”
“Um, no, that’s alright, Julius. I think I can handle it. Thank you, though.”
