An Echo in the Mafia (Echo Reid, Reid Family Book #1)

Part 15

"Why not?" Maru asked with a frown, "Oh no, did he... he dumped you?"

"No, actually. Just the opposite. He said he wanted to see me again." Echo replied. "He wants me to go see him today."

"So what's the problem?" Maru asked. "You're obviously into him. He's married, isn't he?"

"I don't think he's married but he's just not someone I need to be getting involved with. Besides... I'm sure by today he's changed his mind." Echo said.

"Why would you think that?" Maru asked.

"Come on, don't do that. Look at me, Maru." Echo said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's a horrible thing to say, Echo." Maru said, "You can't think so little of yourself."

"Well, it's the truth and please, you don't have to be polite. I know what I look like." Echo replied.

"That's not..." Maru began to protest but Echo interrupted her. 

"We just got swept up in the moment." Echo said.

"Which you refuse to share with me." Maru replied and Echo looked at her.

"I can't." Echo said. "Just trust me when I say, it's better this way. Even if there was any chance that he wasn't just caught up in the circumstances, there's no way I could see him again."

"So that's it?" Maru asked after a few silent minutes.

"That's that." Echo said, standing and walking towards her closet. She needed to be alone, needed to process all her thoughts but she hadn't gotten any time. Last night her family wouldn't give her an inch and now Maru had been bugging her all day.

"It's almost lunch time." Maru said, understanding when Echo grew agitated. She liked to be alone, and maybe she just didn't enjoy spending too much time with that man. It was a pity. she would like to think her sister could enjoy some romance. "I'm going out with Lena and Jessica. Want to come?"

Echo shook her head, as expected, and Maru left.

When she was gone, Echo let out a deep breath. It felt like she'd been holding it in since she left Luke yesterday. She couldn't explain it. She usually couldn't take so much social interaction, even her sisters could make her want to hide away. Her social anxiety was always getting the best of her but none of that seemed to matter with Luke. She'd talked to him quite easily, she'd even talked to Marco easily. She'd even had the nerve to scold him... to throw a plate at him... to kiss him...

Usually Echo was overcome by feelings of inadequacy, she felt overwhelmed by people and found it exhausting to fake conversations and spend time around them. She hadn't felt any of that around Luke. Sure, he'd made her nervous but being in his house, in his room... She'd felt protected, safe, comfortable-something she'd never been able to find anywhere else, not even in her parent's home.

She glanced at the clock. It was nearly noon. If she left now, she'd be there before 3pm.

"No, no." Echo said to herself. It was ridiculous. She was not going. She couldn't do that. He'd probably changed his mind by now. No. She wasn't going. She had no business getting involved with him and besides, what would she do? Was she just going to show up and knock on his door? Absolutely not.

Echo put her hands on her lips again and closed her eyes. She should consider herself lucky. Girls like her didn't experience that type of thing. Kisses like that by men like him were reserved for beautiful, glamorous women... women like Romy. She frowned, thinking that if he had Romy and Echo in the same room, he would completely forget about Echo.