365 Days of Rain, 365 Days of Her, Zero Days of Me Chapter 03

365 Days of Rain, 365 Days of Her, Zero Days of Me Chapter 03

“It’s nothing.” I hung up. Julian was still standing in the doorway.

He had Chloe’s suitcase in one hand. He stepped aside and let her walk in first. Chloe breezed past me with a quick “Hey, Audrey,” crouched down at the shoe cabinet, and pulled out a pair of slippers like she lived there.

Cute patterned ones. I’d seen them on her feed last week. [Just bought these slippers — someone’s got great taste.]

So they were for my apartment. My jaw tightened.

“Why are you showing up at my place with a suitcase this late?”

Julian shut the door behind them and wheeled the suitcase inside.

“It’s just—”

Chloe wandered into the kitchen, yanked open the fridge, and shrieked.

“Julian! You promised you wouldn’t touch my chocolate milk! Liar!”

I stared at the carton in Chloe’s hand. Then at Julian.

“You bought that for her?”

Julian dropped his gaze. For the first time, he actually looked caught.

I shut the shoe cabinet. “I drank it.”

Chloe’s face relaxed. “Oh — I thought… It’s just that Julian always does this. Says he doesn’t want any, then finishes my snacks. No worries, Audrey. Just give me a heads-up next time.”

So now I needed permission to open my own fridge. From her.

I turned to Julian. “Do you bring her here a lot?”

“Not really. A few times. There was nothing to drink here last week, so I picked some stuff up for her.”

Funny how every single one of those visits happened while I was out of town on business.

“So why bring her over tonight, when I’m actually home?”

Julian’s face tightened.

“It’s not what you think.”

“What exactly am I supposed to think?”

He sighed like I was the one being difficult. Chloe cut in.

“Audrey, I’m sorry about all this. We’ve got a business trip tomorrow morning, and Julian thought it’d be easier to head straight to the airport from here.”

Convenience mattered when it was Chloe. When it was me, all he cared about was what people would think.

“Since when is there a business trip?”

Julian went still. “It got scheduled last week. That’s what I wanted to tell you tonight.”

“We’re closer to the airport from here. She gets to sleep in an extra hour.”

I almost laughed.

So this was what he needed to tell me.

“No. You two can get a hotel.”

Julian snapped upright. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Chloe stood up, flustered. “Audrey, it’s not like that — I have a boyfriend.”

“Julian, maybe I should just go.”

Julian grabbed her hand and rounded on me.

“Seriously, Audrey? That’s low, even for you. The VP embarrassed you today, and now you’re taking it out on Chloe? How is any of this her fault? She didn’t make it rain.”

“We’ve got a guest room. What’s the big deal if she crashes here for one night?”

Nothing. Nothing at all.

I was just done making excuses for him.

When my best friend of ten years came to visit, Julian wouldn’t let her sleep in the guest room. His reason? He claimed he was a germaphobe.

A few months later, that germaphobia had magically disappeared. He’d stay up half the night texting Chloe when she couldn’t sleep — even knowing she had a boyfriend.

He was perfectly capable of taking care of someone. It just wasn’t me.

“You wouldn’t even let my best friend stay in the guest room,” I finally said out loud. Julian’s expression went dark.

Chloe’s eyes welled up. “I’m sorry, Audrey. I never meant to come between you two. I’ll go — right now.”

She pulled the door open and glanced back at Julian on her way out. He watched her leave, then turned to me, his eyes like ice.

“Happy now? You just threw her out in the middle of the night.” He paused. “God, you’re turning into your mother.”

My heart stopped.

I thought I was past the point where he could hurt me. I was wrong.

He shouldered past me, grabbing his own duffel bag and Chloe’s suitcase, then crouched down and scooped up the slippers she’d left by the door.

I blinked hard against the sting behind my eyes. “We’re done.”

He stopped at the door and looked back at me with a scoff. “Don’t think I’m staying just because you’re pulling this. Is threatening a breakup the only move you’ve got?”