The Map to You Read online

  “Out of all of my dreams, the dream of you is the best one,” I tell her with sincerity, tightening my hold on her body.

  “Wow.” She swallows, her fingers trailing down the sides of my face. “That was Hallmark greeting card material.”

  “What can I say? I’m a romantic.” I wink at her.

  Opal winks back, jumbling up my brainwaves, and proceeds to shoot my heart through with an arrow clearly marked as hers. “Well, just so you know, I’m pretty sure you’re my happy ending.”

  “You win,” I gladly concede.

  Her laughter wraps around me as I spin her around in the big finale of our soundless dance. The tater tot casserole she had stashed in the refrigerator is presently cooking away in the oven and turning the apartment into a bold-smelling hotbox of untasted food substances that may or may not be edible. I won’t know until I try it, I guess.

  “I think there are zombies hiding here,” she whispers with wide eyes.

  “Um…” I look around the apartment. “Where?”

  A devilish gleam takes over Opal’s face as she drops her hands from my neck and hops back, gyrating her hips in a slow circle that is oddly erotic. “In my pants,” she finishes in a choked voice, and then she bursts out laughing along with me.

  “You say the craziest things,” I tell her.

  Shrugging, Opal tugs off my shirt, and I stop thinking about what she does or does not say.

  Bonus Chapter

  Blake’s letter to the class:

  To anyone like me:

  Having depression is like falling through a never-ending abyss of blackness, and all the while you’re plummeting, it attacks you. It enters your heart, your soul. Everything that makes you, you, is affected. It’s everywhere, and it feeds on hopelessness.

  You don’t understand why you feel the way you do. You don’t know what’s wrong. You try to fix it, and you can’t. You think you should be happy, but you aren’t. It’s suffocating, and bleak, and overwhelming. You can stand in a room full of people and feel completely alone. You don’t know how to ask for help. You think you’ll be judged, and ridiculed, and be seen as weak.

  It takes away your sense of belonging. You’re lost. You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t know where you want to be. You don’t even know yourself. It steals away every bit of goodness until you’re empty. And you’re numb. And the thing that makes the most sense, the thing you see with clarity so stunning it’s white light in the dark, is the solution—and it is to give up.

  Don’t give up.

  Find something, anything, which can pull you from the darkness. It can be a hobby, or as simple as going for a walk. It can be getting out of bed instead of staying in it, like you really want. It can be one person who doesn’t understand depression but understands you. Get into motion when your mind tells you to sit. Distract yourself with activities to the point that there is no space for the blackness. Be around those who care about you, and make you smile.

  Tell yourself positives, repeat them. Repeat them again. And again. Until it isn’t so black in your world, until you find a flicker of yourself. The real you, not the shadow. You can do this. You’re stronger than the depression. Don’t forget. And trust me when I say: you don’t have to do it alone. Talking about it with someone helps. There are medications that help; there are people who can help. Here are some numbers you can call.

  US Suicide Hotline: 800-784-2433

  NDMDA Depression Hotline – Support Group: 800-826-3632

  Suicide Prevention Services Crisis Hotline: 800-784-2433

  Suicide Prevention Services Depression Hotline: 630-482-9696

  National Child Abuse Hotline: 800-422-4453

  National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-SAFE

  National Domestic Violence Hotline: (TDD) 800-787-3224

  National Youth Crisis Hotline: 800-448-4663

  ~ Blake

  Look for the next Least Likely Romance by

  USA Today Bestselling Author, Lindy Zart.

  Coming in June 2018!

  About the Author

  Lindy Zart is the USA Today bestselling author of Roomies. She has been writing since she was a child. Luckily for readers, her writing has improved since then. She lives in Wisconsin with her family. Lindy loves hearing from people who enjoy her work. She also has a completely healthy obsession with the following: coffee, wine, bloody marys, peanut butter, and pizza.

  Visit her at www.lindyzart.com