LOGINShare
Chapter 25
Last Updated:
2022-12-31 11:08:23
owlonmywristAt least she and Matt are talking again...
Related chapters
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 26
I have a month off from school for the winter semester, so I decide to spend three weeks at home with my family. I’ve missed them so much, and I want to soak in as much time with them as I can.It’s great to be home—being taken care of, surrounded by the people who know me best. We play board and card games, make all kinds of food and messes in the kitchen, binge trash TV, and just… be. It’s not the same between Matt and me, though. I don’t think it ever will be. He said some things that can’t be unsaid, and the feelings they stirred in me were deep. But we’ll move on. That’ll be enough.Ericka and Jamal come over a few times. They’re like a second set of parents to Matt and me, but I see Ashton in every glance they give me. He has Ericka’s nose. Jamal’s smile. Her pause before a joke. His hand gestures. It's like seeing pieces of him stitched into both of them. And I just… can't. As much as I love them, I’m not ready. One step at a time.This trip was about patching things up with Mat
Last Updated : 2023-01-03Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 27
For the next month, I focus on getting back into the swing of the semester. The best part? I’m nearly done with all my gen eds. The only ones I have left count toward my major, which means—for the first time in my college career—I’m fully immersed in art. Not always my kind of art, but art all the same.I get back into jogging like I was before. I didn’t do it much in Ohio—the snow was too deep, barely anyone was on the streets, so the plows didn’t bother clearing sidewalks. I went to the gym a few times, but it wasn’t the same. I love the exercise, sure, but what I really craved was being outside. It cleared my head. It helped me forget.Forget the pain. Forget the betrayal. Forget... everything. Everything that happened with Ashton during quarantine.Being with my family made it easier to forget. Making up with Matt made it easier, too.And then Ashton had to show up and try to talk to me—waited until I was alone and tried to force his way back into my life, back past all the wall
Last Updated : 2023-01-05Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 28
I continue to get flowers every day—always a Gerbera daisy paired with another bloom. A sunflower to remind me of the day we stopped on a road trip back from a cabin our families rented and traipsed through a sunflower field. A rose to remind me of the bouquet he gave me on my high school graduation day. A lily to remind me of the time he took the blame when I broke my mom’s favorite crystal lily. Each day brought a different flower, a different memory. And with every memory, he told me what he missed—my smile, my eyes, my laugh, my compassion.On Sunday, he sent another full bouquet of Gerbera daisies.At first, I gave everything to Kora to get rid of. After the third day, I only gave her the notes after reading them. But by the end of the week, I was keeping them. And my wonderful friend, Kora, had kept them all instead of throwing them out. She said she knew I’d want them eventually.By Thursday, our apartment looked like a floral shop. Thank God each bouquet came with its own vase—
Last Updated : 2023-01-07Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 29
It’s the day of my opening, and I’m a nervous fucking wreck. I barely slept last night and feel like a zombie right now. Finally, at 4 a.m., I decide to just get out of bed and get the day started. Ship told me to text him the second I was ready for breakfast—no matter what time it was. He said he’d let me know whether I was being insane or just a normal first-time exhibitor. I get the feeling he’s as nervous as I am.I go for a run. Yes, it’s 4 a.m., but it’s New York—there are always people out. Quarantine’s still a thing, but the city’s slowly pushing forward. I stick to the well-lit, busy areas and run for an hour, hoping to exhaust myself enough to crash on the couch when I get back.No such luck.Next, I take a long, leisurely bath—shaving, exfoliating, soaking in the tub. But I can’t relax, and I’m out and lotioning within twenty minutes. I decide not to stress about hair or makeup yet. The show isn’t until 7 p.m.—I’ve got more than twelve hours.Instead, I pack my bag with ever
Last Updated : 2023-01-10Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 30
“Samantha.” His voice is hoarse, thick with emotion. His eyes—those same eyes I painted in the regret section—are locked on mine, filled with tears. He swallows hard before he can speak again. “Sam… hey.”“Hi,” I whisper.He turns away, swiping at his cheeks. “Look at you. You really made it to the big time, didn’t you?”I chuckle, though tears are already gathering in my eyes. “Yeah, well… I kind of owe it to you. Just a bit.”He barks out a laugh. “Yeah, I’ve never been anyone’s muse before. Not sure whether to feel flattered… or disgusted with myself.” He looks back at me, the humor fading fast. “Definitely disgusted.”I blink, and tears spill over.“I know this is your big night. And Matt told me you’ve been up since 4 a.m., so I know you’re exhausted. If you want to talk later, we can. I’ll take you back to the apartment and we can talk tomorrow. Or—after you sleep for a week,” he adds with a small, broken smile.I study him. And I allow myself to feel everything I’ve ever felt fo
Last Updated : 2023-01-12Love in the Time of Quarantine Story 2: Cole and Kent - Chapter 1: Cole
It’s 2 a.m. and I’m drowning myself in a bottle of tequila. It stopped burning hours ago, not too long after Zoe left.Fuck, Zoe. I can’t even think about her without taking another swig—but when I bring the bottle to my lips, I realize it’s empty. Just a few drops left.Well, shit.Sooo... the tequila’s gone. Time to start on the vodka.I try to stand and make my way to the bar we’ve got set up on the other side of the room. Unfortunately, I miscalculate and slam my shin into the coffee table.“Fucking hell, that hurt!” I hiss. “Who moved the damn coffee table?”I let out a groan and start to fall forward, catching myself barely on the arm of the couch—just as the front door opens. I hear someone giggling and a hasty, “Shh! Shhh!”I turn my head, but my vision swims, and it takes a second to make sense of what I’m seeing.“Cole? Dude, what are you doing standing there in the dark?”Only after he speaks does my vision settle, and I see my roommate, Kent Johnson. He’s wearing ripped, fi
Last Updated : 2023-01-14Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 2: Cole
I wake up to the smell of Axe body spray and fabric softener. My head is resting on something warm, and my arms are wrapped around it too. I’m still half asleep, so nothing really registers—until I hear a deep, masculine voice.“Never would’ve taken you for a snuggler.”My eyes fly open, and I try to jerk back, but one of my arms is pinned underneath his back. When I focus, I see that I’m in bed with Kent. Both of us are shirtless—he’s in boxers, and I’m still in sweats.“What the fuck happened?!” I practically scream in his face.He just laughs. “You seriously don’t remember anything?”I shake my head, and he mutters, “Figures.”He sits up, and I immediately scoot to the other side of the bed. I’m not as freaked out as I wish I was, and that pisses me off.“What happened?”“Look, man, I came home—” Kent starts, but I cut him off.“With a guy.” The words come out with more heat than I meant, and I try to play it off, rolling my eyes and dragging my hands down my face.I hate that I fee
Last Updated : 2023-01-21Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 3: Cole
It’s the beginning of March, and Kent has been pulling more and more hours at work. He works at this place called Zoom, a company he started at about a year ago. It’s a video telecommunications company that’s been used a lot in the business sector. It’s kind of like Skype used to be, but clearer and easier to connect.Kent’s been working longer hours because China’s been under quarantine due to a pretty nasty virus. People over there are starting to panic, saying it’s going to be another pandemic, like SARS or Zika. Kent’s a little on edge about it too, but I mean—how much did our lives change because of SARS? Or Zika? So I wasn’t supposed to travel to specific places. Meh. None of those pandemics ever affected me personally, and I don’t see this one being any different.Still, it’s lingering in the back of my mind. Especially with Kent’s job.He’s been helping expand Zoom’s user interface for China and for companies who normally send employees overseas. He’s a badass programmer, and G
Last Updated : 2023-01-24
Latest chapter
Love in the Time of Quarantine Author's Note
Hey friends! Thank you so much for reading Love in the Time of Quarantine. I hope that you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Here are a couple of announcements/interesting information for you. 1. If you are interested in what I listen to while I’m writing, you can find my playlist “Creative Juices” on Spotify. I love all different kinds of music, so there's a little something for everyone. 2. Other books on GoodNovel: Trio of Mates Series: 4 werewolf books that take on the idea of what would happen if one of the leadership was gay and couldn’t produce an heir. Lots of very graphic smut. (completed) Trio Legacy Series: The stories of the children of the wolves introduced in the Trio of Mates Series. Completed: Hide and Seek, Ongoing: Red Rover Dissonance and Harmony: The story of a high school girl who has to face her rapist at his sentencing hearing and deal with her PTSD from that night. Graphic violence and rape scenes. (completed) 3. Follow me under the same name
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 30: Jorge
I’m standing outside the girls’ apartment—our old apartment—with a picnic basket of baked goods and a cooler full of drinks, fruit, and toppings. I brought muffins, cinnamon rolls, danishes, cinnamon raisin bread, and fresh bagels.Okay, I went a little overboard. I can admit that. I’m just so fucking anxious, I don’t know what to do with myself.I was already awake when Andie’s text came through last night, replaying everything Angel had said to me earlier. I’d been scrolling through old photos of Andie and Jaime, staring at all the joy I used to have. I miss them so damn much. It took losing them to understand exactly how badly I’d fucked up.I didn’t even hesitate. I texted back immediately that I’d bring breakfast.And for the first time in a while, I fell asleep without any trouble.Granted, it was only for a few hours—I had to make deliveries at the bakery this morning—but I got there early, dropped everything off, and grabbed the best of the morning’s offerings for them.Now I’v
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 29: Jaime
I’ve been tossing and turning in bed all night after listening to everything Angel and Maddie said tonight.“You three belong together.”“He loves you.”“He wants you back.”“What do you have to lose if you do call him?”I know what my heart wants. I also know what my heart is afraid is going to happen. How can I allow him to possibly hurt me—us—all over again?What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? Wouldn’t it be insane to let him back into our lives and hope it ends differently?Angel and Marta have both said he’s reduced his hours at the business. That they’ve hired new people. That he’s learned his lesson. Could it be true? Could he really have changed for us, even if he didn’t think we’d ever come back?I don’t know.We’ve been in bed since midnight, and it’s now 3 a.m. With a huge sigh, I get up and grab my robe, tying it tightly around me. I can’t lay here any longer. And if I keep shifting, I’m going to wake
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 28: Andie
Jaime and I go about making dinner in silence. We’re a well-oiled machine at this point, moving easily around each other in our kitchen. Angel and her partner Maddie are coming over tonight for dinner and to play cards.It’s something we started back in college with Angel—a weekly card game. Each week, someone picks the game we play, and once a year, each of us is supposed to introduce a new card game. We use candy and snack foods for any games that require betting. It’s more about hanging out and having fun than anything else.Maddie and Angel have been very careful about who they let into their circle, as have we, so we all feel comfortable being around each other, even with COVID still going on.Unfortunately, this is how much of our life has been since Jorge left: a silent orbit around each other. We hold each other through the tears and the pain, but we don’t really talk.I mean, what’s there to say?We’re enough for each other—but not for the man we love.It hurts. And we’re grie
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 27: Jorge
“Angel, do you have tomorrow’s shipment of bread all packaged? Carmello’s needs the delivery an hour early. I’d like to be able to have everything on rolling carts so I can just load up the trucks the second I get here,” I call to Angel.When she first started working with me, I had brought Angel on just as a delivery driver. But over the last two months, I have consciously tried to pull myself back from the business, and I’ve made Angel a partner. We have three drivers, a part-time baker, and two part-time packagers. I’ve cut my hours back so that I’m working nine-hour days, as opposed to the sixteen-hour days I was working before.The only reason that I’m driving tomorrow is because our early morning guy took the day off. Otherwise, I’ve even built in Wednesdays and Sundays as days off.“Yes, everything’s all ready. Just waiting for the last batch to finish cooling before we get it packaged. I’ll get that done in the next hour,” Angel tells me.I let out a huge sigh. “Ok. I’m heading
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 26: Jaime
It’s been a week since our last interaction with Jorge. We’ve been communicating via text and notes left at the apartment. The morning after our breakup, Jorge was gone before Andie and I even woke up. He’d packed a bag and left a note saying he’d be in and out while we were at work over the coming week.He’s moving into an apartment over his parents’ restaurant. It used to be his dad’s office, and over the years, various family members have crashed there when they were in the doghouse with their wives or girlfriends.Not a bad place—but not exactly the kind of space you’d expect someone with a thriving business to live in. Still, with COVID still bad, Jorge decided to stay somewhere only family had been. Said it was safer.Trying to decide what belongs to who over text is awful.I’d honestly thought Jorge was the one. The guy I’d spend the rest of my life with. When we added Andie into our lives, it felt perfect. For a while.So we bought everything together—TV, couch, microwave. Even
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 25: Andie
In that way that grief between people who love each other will sometimes turn sexual, when Jorge turns to Jaime and kisses her, she kisses him back.I lean in and kiss the side of his face. He turns toward me and—God—it feels good to kiss him. I’ve missed him so damn much. It’s been too damn long.Jaime brings his mouth back to hers, their kiss hungry and desperate. My hands go to the bottom of the hoodie he’s wearing and I rip it off of him.Jaime finds his mouth again, and I lean down, licking his nipples. He groans into Jaime’s mouth, his body tensing in arousal. He loves having his nipples played with. At the same time, I rake my nails down his abs.Jorge pulls back from Jaime’s mouth to look down at me. “Please. I need you both.” His voice is so full of need.I look at Jaime, asking if she’s okay with this. Because this is going to be an end, not a reconciliation. But I want this. I need him.Jaime nods, both of us catching the motion.Jorge surges from the chair, knocking it to t
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 24: Jorge
Andie looks between Jaime and me, and I can tell she immediately understands what’s going on. She’s always had that ability—to take in a situation at a glance and know exactly what’s happening. I guess that’s what makes her such a good programmer.And an expert at calling me on my bullshit.Ever since the day I triggered Jaime’s meltdown, Andie’s been more distant with me. I think she realized that, even though the promises I made to her and Jaime were heartfelt, they weren’t ones I could keep.The time I managed to get after that? It felt more like it was for Jaime’s benefit than for Andie’s. As introverted and quiet as she appears, Andie doesn’t take shit from anyone.She gave me more rope than I deserved. And I guess I finally used it to hang myself.“How far are we into this conversation?” Andie asks calmly.I blink at her, caught off guard by how level her voice is.Jaime answers instead. “I told him he’s not treating us like priorities. That the last chance we gave him was the la
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 23: Jaime
I’m sitting on the couch flipping through TV channels when Jorge walks in. It’s been two days since our failed date night, and this is the first time I’ve seen him for more than a passing second. He’s dressed in sweats and a tank top, hair wet from a shower—he must’ve just come back from a run.Andie and I have been sleeping in her old room ever since that night. With the hours he’s been keeping, I don’t really know what he’s up to anymore.Honestly? I don’t know if I can even muster the energy to care. Every time I try, it just ends up hurting.“Hey…” Jorge says tentatively, sitting on the arm of the couch.I glance over. “Hey,” I reply, then turn my attention back to the TV.“Um… where’s Andie?” he asks, like he’s not sure what to say.“Doctor’s appointment and then grocery shopping.” My responses aren’t angry—just short. I give the remote a voice command to switch to N*****x and start scrolling through options, skipping past the show I actually want to watch.Shadow and Bone. Can’
