Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
“Probably.” He chuckles, though there’s no weight to it, given the uneasiness between us. His smile remains, and he says, “I’m actually doing really well.”
That his response feels so much like a betrayal tells me I should have moved on a long time ago. “That’s good,” I muster, fidgeting with the box. “I’m glad.” My voice has all but vanished as the corners of my eyes begin to flood with tears.
He glances out the window and takes a breath. When he looks back at me, he says, “I’m doing better because you were in my life. You opened my eyes to so much that I was missing. I don’t know, it’s strange, but I’m not mad anymore.” His chuckle would say otherwise. “That’s a lie. I’m still working through things.”
It’s wrong to be attracted to him like I am. Hearing Warner express feelings he’d buried and find happiness without me stings, but it doesn’t burn. I want him to feel the joy he was missing. I still can’t help but wish I could be a part of this transition, to see the changes firsthand instead of hearing about them. “Like what?”
“With you, frustration led to fun. Your chaos became a comfort because I believed you cared about me. But that was something I was trying to convince myself of and not truly experiencing. Not because you didn’t. I know you did. But so much of it was spun through the distortion of the lens I was viewing my life through back then.”
“You say back then like it was years ago instead of months.” This is all so confusing. He’s had some great life epiphanies while I’ve been silently suffering.
“It feels like years have passed since you left.”
“I was thrown out, for the record.”
Leaning back in his chair, he keeps his eyes on mine. Seeing him in this setting has me imagining he gets his way all the time. Is that what this is about? He feels I left him, so he’s jockeying for a chance to get me back so he can dump me instead? To put a proper bookend on our relationship, at least in his head.
“I still miss you, Delaney. I still—”
“You know what I miss? That damn soap of yours. I went in to buy it, but when I saw the price, I couldn’t do it. I don’t have money to throw away, even after finally finding a job, and I regret not taking your bottle with me.” I toss my arms out as if I’m too much of a lost cause to waste any more time on. “You called me an opportunist, and I am when it comes to you and that soap, but I failed it so miserably and lost access to both. So don’t make confessions of the heart when I made it clear that you had me, but then you threw me out because I couldn’t fight on the timeline you had in mind.” What am I even doing here? I stand and slip around to the back of the chair.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I was packing because I knew I would never survive hearing you telling me to get out. But guess what? I did survive, and I’m trying to move on. So you coming around to see me at the restaurant doesn’t heal my pain. It only helps you. But that’s all that matters, right, Warner? You have this revelation about being a better person, disregarding how you’re still affecting my life.”
“I didn’t say I was better. I said I was happier.”
“Well, guess what? I’m not. I was happier before you started taking over my world to destroy it. Honestly, I was happier than I am now before I ever met you, but you want to know when I was happiest?” His expression tells me this is not how he saw this going, but he’s wise enough to keep his mouth shut. Neither did I, but since we’re here, I might as well get it all off my chest and out in the open. “I was the happiest I’d ever been when I was your Sass and you were my Hotshot.” I thought I’d feel better getting it out there. I feel worse. “How pathetic is that?” I toss the box on his desk and turn to leave. The walk seems so far with him staring at my back, but it goes too quickly. I know when I walk out of here, that’s it. That’s it forever, and the thought alone makes my feet feel like they’re stuck in concrete. With my hand on the doorknob, I look back. “You had every opportunity to do the right thing, and you blew it.”
“I was accepting the lies to be with you.”
“I’m not talking about that.”
He stands but stays protected behind that large desk of his. “You’re talking about the building.” He angles his head and says, “The deal is already done.”