Series: Like Us Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 241
Estimated words: 236417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1182(@200wpm)___ 946(@250wpm)___ 788(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1182(@200wpm)___ 946(@250wpm)___ 788(@300wpm)
“How long has he been texting you?” I whisper, about to scroll up to see.
“Not long,” she says, just as hushed. “That I know of. I guess Original Luna could’ve deleted old text threads. It seems like something I did.”
“Probably in case anyone stole your phone.”
“Yeah.” Her voice is strained. “I don’t know who he is, Donnelly, and I’m trying not to advertise that I lost my memories. It’s all…so messed up.”
“We’ll figure it out.” I tuck her closer again, and she relaxes more at the embrace. With one hand, I scroll through her contacts. First name I think of is Noah Perch. The prick outside of Thirsty Goose. Except, there are no Noahs saved in her phone.
Instead, I sift through an endless scroll of Unknowns. There must be about a hundred of them. My stomach cramps. “Luna…” I show her.
She pales. “I must’ve started saving numbers under Unknown after I turned eighteen—because I’ve never done that.” Panic spikes her voice.
“It’s okay—”
“No, it’s not.” She intakes a sharp breath.
I set my hands on her shoulders, then touch her cold cheek. “Luna. Breathe.”
“Why would she—why would I…?” Her face falls. She’s crushed, and it’s killing me. “What if these are all the guys I’ve slept with? What if this is my body count?”
“So what if it is?”
She looks sick to her stomach. “I don’t want it to be. I can’t remember any of it. If it was good, if it was bad, if it hurt, if I liked it, if I hated it.” Tears well in her eyes, and I hold her against my chest again, stroking my fingers through her glittery hair while she calms.
Frog asks over comms, “Is she okay?”
“Should we approach?” Quinn’s voice follows.
I click my mic. “Just give us a few minutes.”
“Sure. You are the boyfriend after all,” Frog says, a smile to her voice.
Yeah, I’ve always liked Frog.
Quick glance at Xander, he’s still at the headstone and he’s scrolling on his phone now. Maybe looking something up, so I focus on my girlfriend. She lets go of me and slides down the oak tree. Sitting.
I join her. “Sad alien.”
“This isn’t a mystery I thought I’d have to solve,” she says quietly. “The Who Did I Sleep With for Three Years and Tell No One unsolved case.”
“You’re not solving it by yourself.” I tap back into her messages. “Have you tried calling this number?” I flash her the Unknown contact who just texted.
She shakes her head slowly. “I was scared to talk over the phone. I didn’t want anyone thinking I forgot about them.” Her panicked face returns. “What if…what if he’s someone you know?”
I fight off a grimace. “I don’t think it could be.” Unless this is O’Malley. But it’s not his number. And I suddenly realize, “This isn’t a Philly area code.”
“What is it then?”
I don’t even have to consult Google. I already know the answer. ‘Cause I lived there. “New York.” I’m about to dial the number, but I hesitate. What’s the chance they don’t pick up and then I’ve opened a window for this guy to nonstop call Luna?
I send the contact to my phone. “I’m gonna call him later. Not on your phone though.”
Her eyes are lost on her phone, which is still in my hand. “This might be worse than just those texts.”
My muscles strain like I’m in a one-armed plank position. “What else is going on?”
“I get prank calls, sometimes. They’re all Unknowns too. I can’t figure out half of who anyone is.”
So she’s being harassed too. A pain wedges in my ribs. “Next time someone calls, let me answer it?” I ask.
She nods.
I hate that she’s going through this on top of everything else. I want to take this off her plate, even if it should be something Quinn and Frog deal with. It falls more under bodyguard duties than boyfriend duties, but I promised I’d keep this between me and her for now.
“Can I go through your recent call history?” I ask her.
“Yeah. You can send all the Unknown caller contacts to yourself.”
That’s what I do. I’ll have our IT team trace the numbers. Hopefully they won’t ask too many questions.
I don’t feel like I’m competing with guys that can crop up at any moment. Luna isn’t interested in her past with them. She’s just looking to me for protection from them, and I want to bubble-wrap her until she’s waddling out of here like the blueberry girl from Willy Wonka.
Frustration knits her brows this time. “It might be too much to dig out from.”
“Pile that dirt on me,” I tell her, making a rock on gesture. “I’m already halfway buried. There’s nothing I can’t get out of.”
“With a shovel?”
“Nah, I’ve got the best hands for digging myself out of shit, and I’ll use them for us.”
I let go of our phones when she grabs my hands. She inspects my callused palms with a sweet meticulousness. It double-thumps my heart.