Addicted for Now (Addicted #3)

by Krista Ritchie

“Yeah, I’m still working on the happiness part.”

I’m the spoiled rotten heir, the one who drinks until he’s wasted. The one who went to rehab like it was some publicity stunt. And I have a sex addict girlfriend.

“I want you to masturbate. You’ll be shocked until your brain responds to the negative stimuli.”

“Whores like you are obsessed with male genitalia. You’re going to look at it, touch it, suck it and I’ll shock you until you’re nice and normal.”

“Why do you love me, Lil?” “Lo, really, where are you?” Concern spikes her voice. “Just answer me.” I let out a long breath. “Please. Why do you love me?” I grip the phone harder, tears clouding my vision.

“When we were eleven, we were at your house, reading comics,” she says, and for some reason I know exactly which memory she’s trying to draw for me.

“But that day, you said you aspired to be Cyclops. Scott Summers was strong. He took care of everyone in the face of crisis. He was a man that people wanted by their side.” Her voice shakes too, like she’s near tears. “Lo,” she says, “you’ve made it. You’re my Scott Summers, and without you, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Lo,” she continues. “Whatever Emily said, I need you to know that I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be here when you come home. There will always be an us.” “A Lo and Lily,” I breathe. “Or Lily and Lo."

“I have more money than you will ever have in your lifetime,” I tell him. “You have to sit there and listen to me bitch about stupid shit for hours on end, and then I return home to my nice house with my nice car.” “You think I should hate you because you have money and because I have to listen to your problems? Is that why you stopped coming?” “No, I stopped coming because I couldn’t bear to stare at your ugly face any longer.”

“Sometimes the person we think we’ll become is the person we already are, and the person we truly become is the person we least expect.” He clicks his pen again and points it at me. “There’s your fortune cookie wisdom.”

While I can’t physically relate to a parent abandoning me, I understand what it feels like to want your mother to love you and not receiving the same affection in return.

I don’t want to keep dwelling about every bad thing that happens to us. I want to move on. Don’t you?”

I’m ready to start the newest chapter of our lives. One where we’re not assaulted by our vices. One where we’re happy.

“Are you okay?” he asks, searching my eyes for the truth. “I feel strong,” I say. “I kn...

“I realized that it doesn’t matter what I can’t do with you,” I say. “We’re together…for real this time. No piece of paper or list can tell me what I’m missing. I have everything I could want.”

“But—” “It’s my office,” he says with a humored smile. “It’s my private place.” Ohhhhh. YES! I bite my bottom lip to try and hide my grin.

“What the fuck is going on?” he says. “What the fuck did you do?” He shakes his head repeatedly, and it’s then, that I know for certain, who the real leak is.

“Did you fucking tell them?!” he yells, clutching the granite counter. “Yes,” she suddenly says, touching her chest as though a weight has been lifted off.

“You know what else you did?” He blinks and tears fall. “You lost your only son.” He goes to turn around, and Sara grabs his arm.

“You were never supposed to meet him,” she says under her breath, her cheeks slick with her own tears. She points at Lo. “He’s not your family.” “He’s my brother!” Ryke yells. “He would never hurt me the way you just have.”

He squats in the middle of the room, his hands on his head, not able to take a full breath. “What the fuck?” he keeps repeating. “What the fuck?” He laughs painfully into a broken sob. Lo bends beside him and sets a hand on his back. “Hey, you’re all right. It’s okay.”

“Listen to me,” Lo breathes in his ear. “Meeting you was the best thing that’s ever happened to us. I’m sober and Lily’s in recovery. None of that would have been possible if it wasn’t for you.” He shakes Ryke, and a tear slips out of Lo’s eye. “You are the fucking reason I’m with the girl I love; you’re my brother, so don’t you ever feel guilty for what’s happened now. That’s not on you.” He holds up Ryke’s face to look him in the eyes. “Hey, you hear me?”

My father didn’t tell me that Sara Hale was the leak to protect himself. Or me. He was protecting Ryke.

I set my sights on Lily again. She is my past, my present, my future.

But the part of me that loves her, the one that I choose to listen to, is so fucking proud of this girl.

It’s simple and perfect. I drop to my knee.

I pull out a small box from my pocket. Colorful and wrapped in comic book strips.

“Lily Calloway, will you marry me? For real this time?” I open the box, and a ruby cut into a heart sparkles back at her. Diamonds circle it. “Yes!”

When I part from her, she begins yanking at her gaudy ring. She gets wild-eyed. “Lo, it’s not coming off,” she panics. “It’s not coming off!”

“I love it, Lo.” Her eyes twinkle as they meet mine. “I love you more.”

Right now. Sober. Alive. With her.

“Is it different than fucking?” she asks me with wide eyes. “Very much so.” Frown lines crease her forehead. “How?” “I’ll show you.”

She waits for me. Just as I asked.