Fortunate Misfortune (Clear Lake Quartet #1)

by Miah Onsha

To those who constantly strive to prove their worthiness of love and rest, please know that you are inherently deserving of both right now, just as you are. This is a reminder for me too.

“Have I told you that you’re cute when you pout? I can’t imagine how good you’ll look when I win junior year.”

“Gray,” she stops me, tapping the table. “If you keep talking to me like I’m a child, I’m going to walk over there and bitch slap you with this paddle. Understood?”

Mallory’s head falls back at something Cade says, and a sliver of jealousy tugs at the knot in my stomach. That type of joy is never aimed at me.

My time with Mallory has always been limited to the game and the game only. And it makes me sadder than usual this time.

It’s not like I can flip a switch and turn off my ability to care. If I could, things would be a whole lot easier.

I’m thinking about what the game has given me. It’s both the bane of my existence and the fire beneath me.

Even with our tense relationship, getting Mallory to talk has always been easy. She’s a lot like my favorite puzzles. With a lot of patience, I can eventually crack even the most complex ones.

The one who mended fences that should have been left to rot.

Brown doesn’t do them justice. They’re the color of the Earth after a good rain. Sunlight through a bottle of whiskey. A honeyed glow that adds sweetness to her gaze, even when sharp and focused. They’re gingerbread men that remind me of Christmas with Nan, and more comforting than a mug of Claude’s hot chocolate. “Out of all the words someone could use to describe you, Eddie, not a single one would ever be normal or boring.”

“Because you were the spark that changed it all, Eddie. I met you and knew everything would change.”

me, but right as I’m about to click the call button,

I hold the sheets up and wait for Mallory to slip beneath the floral bedspread. The moment her head hits the pillow she bolts back up, but I already have her scarf in my other hand. Cade refuses to sleep without his, so I grabbed hers from the dresser just in case.

“You are not a burden to me. You never have been, and you never will be. Getting to be there for you is all that matters. It doesn’t matter the day of the week, time of day, where you are, or where I am, I will be there when you call.”

“All I do is think about you. Being with you. Making sure you’re happy. And if it’s not clear, I like you, Mallory. So much. I find myself talking about you to anyone who will listen. It’s painfully obvious how I feel about you.”

I follow the voice of the woman I’m in love with. For once, everything is going right.

“I know emotions are running high right now, but if you want to stop, say the word and it’s done. I’m happy being here with you. On the couch, fully clothed, watching cartoons.”

“Holy shit. Why was that so hot?” “Someone respecting your boundaries?

“If you do want to continue, I have one rule. I want our first time to have time and space, and tha...

“Do you have any rules?” “Well… no. I just like being in charge.”

“You’re always in charge here, Ed.”

“Always bet on yourself, baby girl. There’s nobody you should trust more than yourself.”