Separation Anxiety Read Online Free Page A

to make sure just as she threw her head back and laughed at something Dane had said.
    “So, Mrs. Thomas, what are you up to this weekend?” he asked.
    I shrugged. “Probably grading essays,” I said.
    “That sounds so exciting.”
    “It’s February. We’ve got three months of school left. I have to do it sometime.”
    “Do you have plans for the summer?” he asked.
    I shrugged. I did; I was planning to pack my shit and find a new place to live, but I wasn’t ready to reveal that over happy hour drinks.
    I took another gulp of my drink. “Not sure yet,” I said after I swallowed. “You?”
    “I only get June off, really, and then I’m back to the grind with scheduling. But every summer I take a road trip.”
    “Where are you off to this year?” I asked.
    “I’m heading down to Mexico for a couple weeks, and then I’m going to drive up through California wine country.”
    “Sounds romantic. Taking someone special?” I asked, suddenly jealous both of him for going on what sounded like an amazing adventure and of whatever slut of the month he was taking with him.
    He shook his head. “Actually, I usually travel alone. Good way to decompress after a long school year. I’ll probably check in with some friends in California, and I have a buddy meeting me in Mexico for a few days, but otherwise, I’m heading out alone.”
    Something sparked inside of me at that thought. I liked that he wasn’t taking a romantic trip with someone else even though it wasn’t my place to feel that way.
    Tami came by, and Jesse and I each ordered another. And then Quinn, Kevin, Avery, and Dane all asked for their checks.
    I guess that meant Jesse and I would be alone for our last drinks.
    It suddenly felt like a date, and I didn’t mind one bit.
    “You need a ride?” Quinn asked from across the table.
    “I can take her,” Jesse jumped in before I could answer.
    Quinn raised her eyebrows at me, and I nodded my consent. Of course it was fine if he took me home. Obviously I wasn ’t driving home, not after four vodka drinks.
    “Thanks for the offer,” I said to Quinn, and she came over and gave me a hug before leaving.
    And then there were two.

CHAPTER 2

    “Are you really doing okay?” he asked after Tami dropped off our drinks, staying a little longer than necessary and dipping her breasts a little closer to Jesse than I would have preferred.
    I shook my head. I don’t know why, but suddenly I wanted to tell someone. I wanted to confess the shit I’d been going through on my own for the last year. And those pricks hit the backs of my eyes again, but this time, gulping down my drink didn’t stop them.
    “No. I’m not.”
    “What’s going on?” he asked, somehow scooting his chair closer to me and wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I allowed him to comfort me as I cried into him for a moment, loving the way his arm felt around me, strong and warm and caring. It had been well over a year since I felt like a man cared about me.
    “ I’m getting a divorce,” I said. It was the first time I had ever said it out loud to another person.
    I heard him take in a sharp breath. My mind was foggy from all of the vodka, but his chest rose quickly, and then he backed up a bit and looked at me. His thumb brushed against my cheek.
    “What happened?” he asked, that beautiful hand of his running back through those gorgeous wisps of hair. The more I drank, the more I found myself staring at that dark hair, wondering what it would feel like between my own fingers.
    “A lot,” I said, smiling sadly through the tears that wouldn’t stop now. “We sort of grew apart right after we got married, and things have been going straight downhill ever since.”
    “Is there someone else?” he asked.
    I shook my head. “No, nothing like that. We’ve both been faithful, but he has hurt me more times that I can count, and I can’t forgive him for it anymore.”
    His eyes darkened. “Has he…” he trailed off, but I knew where