Reminders of Him

by Colleen Hoover

And over time, this place started to feel less like my future home and more like . . .” He tries to come up with the word, but he can’t. “A prison?” Ledger looks at me like I’m the first person to understand him. “Yes. Exactly. I feel like I’m locked into it now, but the idea of not seeing Diem every day is really starting to weigh on me. It’ll change our relationship. With my schedule, I’ll probably see her once a week if I’m lucky. I think that’s why I’ve been taking my time building it. I don’t know that I’m really looking forward to moving out here.” “Then sell it.” He laughs, like that’s an absurd idea. “I’m serious. I’d much rather you live across the street from my daughter than clear across town. I know I can’t be in her life like I wish I could, but there’s some comfort in knowing you are.” Ledger stares at me for a long beat after I say that. Then he stands up and reaches out for my hand. “We should get to work.” “Yeah. Don’t want to piss off the boss.” I grab his hand and stand up, and when I do, I’m suddenly way too close to him. He doesn’t back away or let go of my hand, and now he’s looking at me from just a few inches away with an intensity I feel slide down my spine. Ledger threads his fingers through mine, and when our palms touch, the feeling that surges through me makes me wince. Ledger feels it, too; I can see it in the way his eyes fill with torment. Funny how something that should feel so good can feel so painful when the circumstances aren’t right. A...