Better Than Nothing: Part 3 of On the Edge Series

Chapter 25

The following day, Billy lingered in my office right until 8:15 am. Even then, he made slow work of leaving. My mind split from the moment I heard the door click behind him. Two nights of not being in his arms suddenly felt like the end of the world. A coldness crept into me despite my attempts to push it down. We had spent more time apart than together; I could manage a couple of nights.

I sighed as I left my first huddle just before 9:30 am and absently tapped my cell to see a missed text.

At 8:16 am, Billy had texted a simple, "I miss you."

"We're ridiculous," I tapped back, but his message made me feel less lonely.

He didn't type back. He was driving. Instead, I tamped down my melancholy with a sigh and set my phone aside as I prepped for my next huddle. The glow of my cell phone tugged at my attention while I was in my meeting, but I fought the urge to check it. Instead, I flipped it over to be less enticing and focused on my wave of meetings. Finally, at 10:30 am, I had a break. My fingers twitched with excitement as I allowed myself a peek at my screen.

"I like it," he had started. "There isn't much food in the house; maybe we'll come over for dinner before Viv's big date. You could get to know the kids better."

"I thought we were going to introduce me slowly?" I shot back, not expecting a reply, but I almost immediately saw the typing bubbles.

"It's just dinner at my mom's."

"True, if I can keep my hands off you!"

"My mom has a big house... lots of rooms...."

"I have to go. You're not improving my concentration with your sexting," I teased.

"Oh, darling; if I were sexting, you'd know it."

"I was kidding. Sexting = ew."

"Can you stop typing sexting?" Billy quickly shot back.

"You've typed it just as many times!"

"We agree the whole digital love thing is gross."

"Ew, never type digital love again, Billy."

"Funny, I was thinking of calling my next album Digital Love."

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew."

"I love you, Lil. I'll see you at dinner."

"Wait, did you talk to your mom while we were sexting?"

"That wasn't sexting!"

"Fine, did you talk to your mom while we had digital love?"

"Don't you have some fuck dates to confirm?"

"Billy! I told you they are FOC dates."

"Who's sexting now?"

"Goodbye, Billy; I love you."

"Love you too, Lil."

I threw my phone to the couch to prevent temptation and continued my day. I looked at lunch but was disappointed to see no new messages.

"I'm pathetic, and I miss you," I texted as I headed to the kitchen to see what Mary had whipped up for lunch.

"I don't think you're pathetic," Billy said as I entered the kitchen, causing a painfully wide smile to spread across my face.

"Hi," I said as he pulled me to his side and kissed my temple.

"Hey," he murmured back. He could see me struggle before he added, "say it."

"Hi," I let out on a breath.

"Too many hi's, Lil."

"But I mean all my hi's," I whispered back.