Chronicles of a Serial Dater - Book 4: A New Adult Romantic Comedy Read Online Free Page A

down the hall, knowing the moment she turned she’d see me.
    I think she was attempting a pirouette when she finally spotted me. I didn’t move the phone away, only gave her a little wave to the side. Watching that realization wash over her expression was worth months of mental torture at her hand. She froze, her hand cocked as if it still wanted to dance away.
    “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice tinged with panic.
    “Apparently catching a sneak peek for next season’s America’s Got Talent ,” I snickered.
    Her face morphed into a bitter scowl. With rounded shoulders and hard footfalls, she pounded past me muttering under her breath.
    “You know, the only thing you’ve managed to bring back is that terrible outfit. Seriously. Didn’t you wear that last week?” I called out, keeping the phone trained on her.
    She glared at me over her shoulder, but I could tell I’d finally bested her. With one last sneer, she flipped me off and disappeared into her office. The music died a moment later and my video ended with a final laugh.
    Cell phone: $600.
    Case: $24.99
    One video of Abi-lutely horrible singing? Priceless.
     
    Catching Abi had bolstered my mood so much I almost forgot about how upset I’d been with Anette. It wasn’t until I started the final walk back from the station to our building that the sickening feeling returned to my gut. For a moment I considered going right past our apartment and heading straight upstairs to Zach’s, but decided against it.
    With a sour taste in my mouth, I unlocked the door and braced myself for the worst.
    Anette was at the sink when I entered. The silence that welcomed me spoke volumes about her state of mind. It’s rough feeling uncomfortable in your own home, but I vowed to act as normal as possible. I wanted her to take the lead and see how she’d react to my presence.
    I dropped my purse at the door, kicked off my shoes, and made my way to the fridge.
    “Hey,” Anette said without looking up from the dishes.
    Surprised she’d spoken, I replied in kind. “I thought you were working tonight,” I said as I stuck my head in to hunt for leftovers.
    “Yeah, well. I’m not.”
    I made a face in the privacy of my cool fridge and didn’t reply. After shuffling through a few unidentifiable containers, I grabbed a soda and shut the door.
    “Do you wanna order something?”
    “Already ate,” she snapped again, waving a soapy spatula in the air for proof.
    “Oookay,” I replied. I was about to make a comment about it being the first time in history she made dinner, but bit my tongue. She’s on the edge of civil, but she’s still civil.
    I plopped on the sofa and stretched out my legs with a groan. The tension was so strange. I felt like I was acting relaxed rather than actually being relaxed, like it was a performance in my own home.
    I thought I might try to lighten the mood by sharing what happened at the office just before I came home. “I caught Abi doing something hilarious today.”
    “ Mmmhmm ,” Anette replied without looking up from her phone.
    I swallowed a nasty comment and smiled harder through the conversation. “She thought she was alone and started dancing up and down the hall. I even have video.”
    “Oh?”
    “Come on. You hate her as much as I do,” I scoffed, getting fed up with her attitude.
    She met my eye with an uninterested dull look. “I hardly know the woman. She’s your coworker, Tal. I have no reason to like or hate her.”
    “Please. You’ve met her a few times and each time walked away doing nothing but bitch about her. I know you want to see this video,” I added, wiggling my phone.
    “Eh. Whatever.”
    I clapped my hand on my thigh and fought to control the volume of my voice. “Really? Is this seriously how you want to live now? Just pretending to be friends? Give me something to work with here. I’m trying to fix this.”
    “Fix something you broke, you mean. Did you ever stop to think what this might do