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Chapter 28: Andie
Last Updated:
2023-09-12 09:59:56
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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
Last Updated : 2023-09-16Love 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
Last Updated : 2023-09-19Love 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
Last Updated : 2023-09-19Love in the Time of Quarantine Prologue
Restaurants? Closed. Parks? Empty. Streets? Deserted. The world just suddenly stopped. The coronavirus (COVID-19) began in Wuhan, China, showing up in late December 2019. It quickly spread throughout the globe, causing death, financial disaster, job loss, and family upheaval. There isn’t a part of our lives that hasn’t been affected by COVID-19. As of today, February 24, 2022, there have been over 431 million worldwide deaths with new cases occurring every day. For many, we have lost loved ones. Some were stranded in other countries with no way to get home for weeks or months. Most of us were unable to see family or friends who lived out of our immediate bubble for nearly a year. The effect of quarantine on our mental health, learning, work, and relationships cannot be undersold. It brought Tiger King, sourdough bread making, so much Zoom, mass pet adoptions, and TikTok dance challenges. Working from home took on a new meaning while you tried to juggle children loggin
Last Updated : 2022-11-05Love in the Time of Quarantine Story 1: Ashton and Samantha - Chapter 1
The doorbell rings, and I immediately become flustered. Ashton is here. My body flushes with the anticipation of seeing him.I walk quickly to the door and stop in front of the mirror beside it. My long, thick dark brown hair is pulled into a ponytail that falls down my back. My blue eyes are clear and bright with excitement. My mauve lipstick sets off my light complexion and highlights my full lips. I tug down the tight cream shirt, making sure my cleavage is on full display, and wipe my hands on my jeans.I know I seem a bit thirsty—but damn, I am. Ashton James has starred in nearly all my sexual fantasies since I was thirteen. Now, at nineteen, I’m going to be spending an entire week alone with him while he interviews with several companies in the area. My college roommate is helping her family move this week, so he’ll be staying in her room.Once I’m satisfied with how I look, I plaster a smile on my face and open the door.I’m immediately engulfed in his brawny arms and the smel
Last Updated : 2022-11-05Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 2
Ash decides he’d rather stay in, so I start working on dinner. I’m making his favorite—my mom’s lasagna.“I’m gonna go shower. Public transport just makes you feel all grimy,” he says, uncorking a bottle of red wine. “Don’t drink that until I get out! It’s gotta breathe.”“Yes, sir!” I snap him a salute before turning back to the meat cooking on the stove.“Mmmm. I could get used to that kind of obedience from you.” As he walks past, he smacks my ass with the towel in his hand.“Asshole!” I shout after his laughing form as he disappears into Kora’s room.Over the next fifteen minutes, while I hear the water running in the shower, I brown the meat, make the sauce, and layer the lasagna in the dish. I’ve just slid it into the oven when I hear Ashton call my name.“What?” I yell, setting the timer on my phone.I hear a muffled response—something about owls?“What the fuck are you talking about owls for?” I mutter, walking toward the bathroom. The shower’s still running, so he obviously c
Last Updated : 2022-11-05Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 3
By the time Ashton wanders into the kitchen after his shower, I’ve already set my plan into motion. I’ve got a club playlist pumping through the speakers, and I’m swaying my hips in time with the beat. I’ve changed into a low-cut white tank top and cutoff jean shorts—what I normally wear when painting—so they’re worn, tight, and splattered with streaks of color. The tank is soaked down the front, making it practically see-through.You wanna play, Ashton?Game fucking on.I hear him stop in the doorway. There's a sharp inhale as he takes me in.I add a little more sway to my hips, singing along to the music like I have no idea he's watching.As I put the dishes away, I run my hands slowly over my body, pretending to wipe water from my clothes—trailing from my stomach down to my hips. I keep dancing, letting the rhythm take over, fingers tangling in my hair as I pull the tie loose, letting it fall around my shoulders. I run my hands through it, over my body, into the air, completely in s
Last Updated : 2022-11-05Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 4
Conversation over dinner shifts to my year at school and the advertising companies Ashton is interviewing with.“So are you planning on staying here in New York?” I ask, taking a sip of wine.“If the job requires it. Most of these places have a short internship period here before it’s possible to transfer to other branches. All four companies I’m interviewing with have locations in Ohio, so I could go back home.” His eyes flick to mine. “If New York doesn’t work for me.”Genuinely curious, I ask, “What do you mean?”He hesitates, then shrugs. “Oh, you know. If I don’t adjust to city life.”I laugh. “Come on, Ashton. What’s not to love about the city? You can walk everywhere. The variety—food, experiences, people—all in one square block. That’s more than our entire hometown has in ten miles. Concerts, galleries, clubs, fashion, restaurants… New York’s got it all.” I stretch my arms wide to emphasize it.He grins. “You really love it here, don’t you?”“Of course!” I beam, stabbing anothe
Last Updated : 2022-11-05
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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’
