Read Online Animalistic Galley Fin by Lizzie Lynn Lee - Free Book Online Page A

just concerned about his image. But Trent wasn’t like that at all; he seemed to relish her curves.
    Maybe what she needed was, in a cosmic joke sort of way, one hell of a bad day to stop her from clinging to her past and embrace the new. The apartment fire stopped her from living in her mother’s memories. Catching Chris cheating made her realize that there was nothing left for them to hold on to anymore. They had been great together in the past, but no more.
    She needed to move on.
    And that was why when she saw Chris, she only felt a mild annoyance as supposed to rage from his betrayal. But he should have broken their relationship off cleanly. Considering their history, he owed her that much.
    Interrupting her thoughts, Chris poked his head in her office. “Hey. Can I have a minute?”
    “If I don’t have any other choice.”
    He entered and closed the door. “How are you doing? I heard about the fire. I’m really sorry. If there’s anything I can do to help, you let me know.”
    “I’m fine.”
    “Do you need to find a new place to stay?”
    “Nope.”
    “Are you staying with your aunt?”
    “God, no. You know she’s a hoarder. I’ve got a new place and a roommate.”
    “Where is it?”
    “The Village.”
    “Greenwich Village?” Chris seemed surprised. “You still have some of your clothes at my place. If you like, I can drop them off at your new place.”
    Arielle thought about it for a moment. “I don’t want them. Just put them in the dumpster.” It might sound like a waste, but she didn’t want anything that had been contaminated by Chris. Plus, Trent’s mom had been so generous, she had more clothes than she would ever need.
    “Are you sure?”
    She nodded. “Anything else? I’d like to get back to work.”
    Chris looked uncomfortable. Usually he was full of arrogant swagger; guilt must be eating him alive. “I’d like to apologize for what I’ve done to you. You have every right to be angry with me. I just want you to know that I never meant to hurt you. It just happened. I’m sorry. I just wasn’t expecting that Sabrina and I–”
    “Chris, I don’t really need to know the details.”
    “I just want to explain–” Chris shook his head. “I just want… Please let me explain so I can feel like less of a bastard.”
    “Don’t worry about.” She leaned back in her chair. “It was a long time coming anyway. You and I have been growing apart for a while. The world is what we make of it. We create our own happiness and misery. So why be intentionally miserable? I’m over you and me, and am ready to let all of this go,” Arielle paraphrased what Trent had said to her during their heart-to-heart. For a young guy, Trent was surprisingly deep. His head was chock-full of Eastern wisdom that he had learned during his stay at the monastery in Japan.
    Chris laughed weakly. “You’re being easier on me than I deserve. It’s making me feel like a dick.”
    “Why should today be different than any other day?”
    He raised an eyebrow, looking bewildered for a second before he got control of himself. “Try not to take all of this out on Sabrina. She had it hard too. She’s felt inferior to you since you were kids, especially considering her dad likes you better than his own daughter.”
    “Inferior?” This was new to her.
    He affirmed it with a small nod. “You may not have noticed, but Hoffman always compared her to you, and it affects her self-esteem. She tried hard to please him, but she can’t compete with you. You were more of a daughter to Mr. Hoffman then Sabrina ever was.”
    She knew that Hoffman liked her, but she totally hadn’t expected to hear that. “That still doesn’t excuse her shitty behavior, and how horrible she’s been to me, to everyone who works here.”
    “Don’t you think I know that?” Chris threw his hands up in exasperation. “I won’t make excuses. For her or for me. I hurt you and I’m sorry. She did too, and I know she’s sorry. Her