Same songbook. Same guitar. Same girl.
Cut adrift. Again.
On the run. Again.
I take one last look around, checking the vanity in the bathroom for any remaining items, pulling open the bedside table drawers on both sides of the bed, to see if any of my things found their way inside. I freeze when my fingers land on a small, blue box in Ryder’s drawer. My eyes lock on it and I’m suddenly struggling to breathe. I can feel my emotions raging behind the dense wall I’ve thrown up against my mind, trying desperately to reach me.
I don’t let them in.
And I don’t open the ring box. With my pointer finger, I stroke the velvet. Just once. That’s all I’ll allow myself. That’s all I can handle, without falling apart completely.
At least a minute passes before I’m able to tear my eyes from the future I almost had. Another before I’m actually able to turn and walk out of the room, my suitcase wheels rolling against the hardwood so loud, it makes my ears bleed.
I leave the bedside table drawer open when I walk out.
I don’t let myself look back.
Chapter Thirty-Three
ryder
The second I walk into the apartment, I know.
Her absence is tangible. It pulses in the air like an off-key note that throws off the entire song.
I close the door at my back with a soft click as my eyes sweep around the room.
No sweater on the couch, no slippers by the coffee table. The book she was reading is missing from the sunny chair she always sits in. I walk into the bedroom, stepping over discarded suitcase tags. Debris from a battle I didn’t get to fight in.
The door swings open. I brace for the blow I know is coming, but it still knocks me back, a punch straight to the heart.
Every trace of her is gone. Her shampoo no longer sits beside mine in the shower. Her hairbrush isn’t on the shelf. Her crappy old guitar no longer leans against the far wall.
My eyes snag on the bed. She’s made it up with fresh sheets, so not even her smell remains.
There’s no sign of her at all, in this cold and empty room.
I feel my heart splinter in two as I walk to the bedside table, gaze locked on the half-open drawer. It’s only five steps away, but it takes a fucking lifetime to make my feet move forward, knowing full well what I’m going to see when I get there.
My jaw clenches when I look down and see the pretty blue ring box, sitting there waiting.
Waiting for a girl who’ll never accept it, now.
Waiting for a girl I’ve lost.
I don’t let myself wonder if she tried it on before she left as I grab the fragile thing in my hands and hurl it at the wall with such force, it ricochets into the bathroom and skids beneath the vanity. I don’t let myself linger on what her answer would’ve been, if I’d gotten my chance to ask.
It doesn’t matter.
It won’t change a damn thing.
She’s gone.
Don’t miss UNFADED, the breathtaking conclusion to THE FADED DUET arriving May 2, 2018.
PRE-ORDER NOW!
Don’t miss UNFADED, the breathtaking conclusion to THE FADED DUET arriving May 2, 2018.
PRE-ORDER NOW:
AMAZON
Playlist
She Used to Be Mine — Sara Bareilles
Landslide — Stevie Nicks
I’d Rather Go Blind — Etta James
It Ain’t Me, Babe — Johnny Cash and June Carter
I Fall to Pieces — Patsy Cline
Hurt— Johnny Cash
I Walk the Line — Johnny Cash
Cold As You — Taylor Swift
Dreams — Fleetwood Mac
Full Lyrics
A GIRL NAMED FELICITY
Stars feel so close to the earth tonight,
I could reach right out and grab one.
I’d give it to you, just to see you light up.
Praying the morning don’t ever arrive…
Why would I look at the stars when I could look at you
Why would I close off my heart when you’ll just break through
’Cause I got too close to the flame
Blinded my sight, ruined my name.
Wasn’t till I saw you that it hit me…
I was burning up… for a girl named Felicity.
Sky’s getting so light outside this bed
I can feel our time ticking faster
I’d break your watch if I thought it’d fix this
Wishing we had just a bit more time
Why would I tear you apart when I could walk away
Why would I tell you the truth is, I just want to stay
‘Cause I got too close the stars
Singed on my mind,
Scored on my heart
Wasn’t till I left that it hit me
I was in love… with a girl named Felicity
A girl named Felicity….”
FADED
Saw you in the crowd the other day
You were ten years older, ten years colder
When your gaze wandered my way…
Wish that I could tell you that you’re hated
All those tears I cried, ‘cause you never tried
And still, for years, I waited…
’Cause love don’t burn out, even though you’re gone
And hate don’t come just ‘cause you write it in a song…
Sure it’s sad but it isn’t complicated…
You’re my only memory that never faded…
You never faded… Oh…
Also by Julie Johnson
STANDALONE NOVELS:
LIKE GRAVITY
SAY THE WORD
ERASING FAITH
THE BOSTON LOVE STORIES:
NOT YOU IT’S ME
CROSS THE LINE
ONE GOOD REASON
TAKE YOUR TIME
THE GIRL DUET:
THE MONDAY GIRL
THE SOMEDAY GIRL
About the Author
JULIE JOHNSON is a twenty-something Boston native suffering from an extreme case of Peter Pan Syndrome. When she's not writing, Julie can most often be found adding stamps to her passport, drinking too much coffee, striving to conquer her Netflix queue, and Instagramming pictures of her dog. (Follow her: @author_julie)
She published her debut novel LIKE GRAVITY in August 2013, just before her senior year of college, and she's never looked back. Since, she has published five more novels, including the bestselling BOSTON LOVE STORY series. Her books have appeared on Kindle and iTunes Bestseller lists around the world, as well as in AdWeek, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today.
You can find Julie on Facebook or contact her on her website www.juliejohnsonbooks.com. Sometimes, when she can figure out how Twitter works, she tweets from @AuthorJulie. For major book news and updates, subscribe to Julie's newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bnWtHH
Connect with Julie:
www.juliejohnsonbooks.com
[email protected]
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