Penance and Promises: A Chastity Falls Novella by L A Cotton

Author:L A Cotton [Cotton, L A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Delesty Books
Published: 2017-01-29T16:00:00+00:00

“EVERYTHING OKAY?” ANA asked when I walked back into the room.

“Yeah. Jackson said to tell you he’s fine.”

“You spoke to him?” She sat upright, and I nodded. “I suppose if I ask, you’ll tell me you’re sworn to secrecy?”

“Will it change anything if you know?”

Ana’s mouth turned down at the corners. “No. I just—god, this is hard. I hate it.”

“So let’s talk about something else. We’re both stuck here for a while.”

Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open. “Well, geez, thanks.”

I chuckled. “Just don’t go into labor on me. I am a guy of many talents, but I don’t plan to add midwife to my skillset anytime soon.”

Ana smiled. “It’s good to see you, Dennis, truly. You know, I never got much out of Cass, but whatever happened with you guys?”

She went there. Of course, she fucking went there because that was what chicks did—they talked and asked questions and kept asking until you were forced to surrender answers you knew they wouldn’t like. Answers that would change the way they saw you. Answers that would change everything.

“Not going there,” I said coolly. More coolly than I had intended, but Cass was off-limits. A place I rarely allowed myself to go.

“Humor me. Did you love her?”

“Fuck, Ana. Just come straight out with it, why don’t you?”

“I’m hormonal. It’s my excuse for everything.” She let out a strained laugh, and it cracked the hard shell I’d built around myself the last couple of years. I’d let someone in once; I didn’t intend to do it again.

“Yes, I loved her.”

“But it wasn’t enough?”

“Look,” I said, running a brisk hand over my head and tilting my face up to focus on the ceiling tiles. “Cass and I, we weren’t like you and Jackson. There was never a happy ending for us.”

“But—”

“You don’t quit, do you?” My eyebrow cocked. “Cassie and I are from different worlds.”

“Are?”

“Excuse me?”

“You said are,” she stated as if I should know what in the hell she was talking about.

“So?”

“So if she was in your past, you would have said were.”

“Ana ...” I warned, irritation heavy in my voice.

“Answer one question for me, and I’ll shut up.”

I let out an exasperated breath, thinking that maybe I should have stayed outside in the main hallway. “One question, fine.”

“Do you still think about her?”

I stared at her, unable to speak over the lump in my throat.

Did I still think about Cassie?

Every second of every minute of every single fucking day.

A heavy silence settled over us. It was awkward as fuck, but then Ana said something that drove the guilt further into my heart.

“You made the wrong choice, Dennis.”

ANA

He still loved her. I could see it in his eyes. Even after all this time, Dennis loved Cassie. And something in me refused to stay quiet. It was silly really. We weren’t in college anymore. We all had our own lives. Families, business, responsibilities. I hadn’t heard from Cassie in a couple of years, but I heard from Elena that she was teaching in California.

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