Hypnotized by Love

by Sariah Wilson

Karma’s not reliable enough for me.”

Not how karmas works. At all

else. I don’t want him to have this much control over me and my thoughts.”

Um…

“What are you even doing here?” I hissed the words at him. So much for my great plan to remain aloof.

Can you hiss that phrase?

It was unforgivable, and I wasn’t ever going to get over it.

Redundant

That didn’t really match up with the whole Zen/good-vibes thing I was going for with my practice,

The author doesn’t know from zen

I really did want to be the bigger person. I was just failing miserably at it.

He didn’t make air quotes with his fingers when he said cured, but I could hear them in his tone.

This was funny

it took all of my willpower not to wildly rear back.

I used to read volumes into our interactions, even though Mason hadn’t been writing a single word.

Nothing ever existed between us, I reminded my overheated lady bits.

Ugh

And then he’d spread a rumor so vicious and so mean that, to this day, people in our hometown still side-eyed me.

Did you ever, ever ask him? No not by 50%

“There’s literally a fairy tale warning people about eating candy found in suspicious locations.”

This was funny

I hated Mason Beckett, and it was all very black and white.

I feel like I should be congratulating you on your cult and telling you I look forward to the eight-episode documentary on Netflix.”

If I kept rolling my eyes like this, they were going to eject from my skull.

Living in Florida had made me realize that I couldn’t end up in hell.

Agree

Vivian, the interior designer who had an office on the third floor, said, “This is your fault, Moe! I told you to knock it off with that hot-plate nonsense.”

put a hand over my stomach. Oh no, I had done this. I was too good at my job. He was saying yes to everything, including stuff he was afraid of.

“So you’re saying there was a premature evacuation?” She laughed at her own joke while I glared at her.

Fifteen chips is one serving? I eat fifteen chips while standing in the pantry trying to decide whether or not I want chips.”

Because there was nothing he could say to undo what he’d done.

Which she still has not asked him about

Having someone know you so well was both a blessing and a curse. It made it very hard to hide things from them.

That made me pause and consider why I wasn’t going to ask Mason about the rumor.

?!

I’d spent all that time being envious of something I hadn’t even really wanted for myself. What a waste of time.

What was happening? Bridget sounded like a deranged game-show host introducing us to an invisible audience.

that karma was real,

Ugh

headspace

Two words. This is a proprietary app. That I use.

“I don’t care if that light turns into Kermit the Frog and starts singing that it’s not easy being green.

That was funny

I was still all hopped up on rage and fear,

Yet another reason I was angry at him—for costing me time with my loved ones.

Did he, though?!

responsible Mason again and this YOLO fool was gone.

“Genetics dictate that I have to love you.

As if realizing that she’d overstepped, she backpedaled like she was an acrobat in the Cirque du Soleil.

You have on hate-filled goggles. You’re an unreliable narrator.”

Truer words were never spoken

My phone rang a few times, but I didn’t check it.

Because why would she?

I picked up the taste of indifference mixed with subtle notes of disdain.”

I know it would give me energy, but I need energy to go. Which feels like some kind of massive pyramid scheme.”

It was a “bouquet,” but instead of using flowers, he had taped bags of M&M’s to long sticks.

I told her secrets about myself, about my family, things I’d never shared with anyone else. And the next day I walked in on her telling our whole cabin everything I’d said while they all laughed.

“What else could I do with an English degree but teach?

And I’m out.