The Void Between Stars: Book 4 Of The Orion Series

Sparking Old Relationships

I'm in one of Ben's guest bedrooms, smoking, the window cracked. This particular window faces Jake's house. Why I torture myself like this, I don't know.

It's late. Like, three in the morning late. But I couldn't sleep because there's too much on my mind. So I decided to come into this room and stare longingly at Jake's house. Because, you know, I'm pathetically dramatic like that.

All the lights are off in his house. I imagine him sleeping. Then my mind flicks to sleeping with him. Forcefully I put an end to that quickly, instead trying to figure out what I was going to say to him once we finally spoke.

That's what was keeping me up. Yet the more this question gnawed at me, the more hopeless the entire situation became. In between smokes, I dragged over a chair to the window and sat. Resigning myself to the fact that I needed help figuring this out, I scrolled through my contacts list on my phone. I stopped abruptly, eyes honing in on a name I hadn't really thought about for awhile, a name that I was surprised was still in my phone even.

Olivia.

My texting knows no bounds. It's often crass, and often doesn't abide by a normal person's circadian rhythm. As such, I tapped her name, a small smile on my lips.

Hi. :)

I assumed she would see it in the morning. So you can imagine my surprise when I went back to scrolling through contacts and my phone chimed with a message from Olivia springing up. I was so surprised, in fact, the chime made me jump. Turning the volume to silent, I pulled up the chat.

OMG Orion! Wow, it's been a hot minute.

Yeah...sorry about that. I've been busy.

Wait a minute--wtf are you doing up?

WrU doing up? ;)

Can't sleep.

Aw, so you texted moi? I feel deeply honored.

That makes me chuckle.

So...where'd you go? You just...ghosted.

Shit, I did, didn't I?

Yeah. Sry about that. It's complicated

You don't have to tell me if you don't wanna...

This was starting to make me feel uncomfortable. I had left her hanging. After banging her brains out for a few days, I did, I ghosted. I mean, I had very valid reasons (obviously), but it was still shitty. I hadn't the faintest clue what to say, especially not over text, so I pulled up my web browser and started dicking around online as a distraction. It didn't last long; another message appeared at the top of my screen.

...did I do something?

Sighing heavily, I pulled the text backup.

No, you didn't; I promise.

I mean, we were hot and heavy, and then nothing

I know. I was going through stuff. It was shitty of me to do that.

Are you sure it was nothing I did? If it was, I'd like to make it up to you.

I'm just a fuck that's bad with interpersonal relationships.

You're not a fuck. You're good AT fucking, but you're not a fuck. ;)

Oh God, was she flirting with me? I immediately felt guilty, which was absolutely absurd. I wasn't with Jake. I wasn't with Tristan. She was, in fact, the last person I had any sort of physio-romantic relationship with. What did it matter?