you said you’d never do. I mean, I can admit it’s funny in a weird, horrible way. But this is you. And you promised.” Tears prick my eyes.
Instead of looking apologetic, his brows pinch together, confused.
Blood rushes in my ears. “I told you everything. My name. My phobias. My virginity incident. I trusted you. And you…” I bite my lip, my anger leaving with my next breath. “You laughed at me.”
He doesn’t beg forgiveness. He doesn’t promise to be my slave until the end of time. He says, “What the hell are you talking about?”
I open my mouth, close it, then open it again. “The Public Speaking Video. This morning. At the computers. You. Laughed. At. Me.” No way is he going to pretend this didn’t happen and make me feel like I’m in the wrong.
He squints at me, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t watch any video. I didn’t laugh at…” He lowers his eyes, his brows pulling tighter. “Those dudes beside me.”
I shake my head, bewildered. “Beside you? Aren’t you even going to apologize?”
“Apologize?” His tone makes me wince, his voice getting louder. “I didn’t do anything wrong. The guy beside me was going on about some chick he saw in the hall and a YouTube video, but I didn’t see what they were watching. I didn’t do whatever it is you think I did. And it’s shit you think that little of me.” His kraken just kicked my kraken’s butt.
The people at the nearest table stop talking to stare at us. I hunch forward, trying to make myself as small as possible, but I’m pretty sure they can still see me. I wipe my stinging eyes, suddenly very sober. “You didn’t Google my name?”
“No, Nina. I was laughing at some crap on Facebook, waiting for you so we could research schools.”
I stare at the floor, trying to remember everything that happened this morning. I washed up, ran into that tall guy, put my stuff away, then the awful sounds from my video drifted down the hall. Along with Sam’s deep laugh. But…Sam wasn’t the only one on the computers. My belly churns. The guy from the hallway—the one who said I looked familiar—was beside him with some friends. Oh, God. “Sam.” I look up, tears building again. “I’m sorry. Just…the timing of it. Telling you my name last night and everything.” I reach for his hand, but the stiffness in his stance stops me.
“Whatever. It’s done.” He kicks off the wall and steps toward the door. “Anyway, I’m taking off. Thought you’d want to know.” His gaze drifts down my body. A flash of something twists his face but disappears quickly.
“Look, I’m sorry. Really sorry. It was a misunderstanding. Can’t we go to the hostel and talk…or, you know, not talk. Just make up.” When he doesn’t respond, my chin trembles. “What about Florida and our plans?”
Standing tall and stoic, not flinching in the slightest, he says, “I made one imagined wrong move, and you were ready to throw those plans in the trash. It’s been fun, Nina. I’ve had a great time with you, but I’m done. This thing we have, it isn’t what I thought it was. Better to cut our ties now.”
He locks his jaw tight, pausing for the length of time it takes for my heart to shatter. Then he turns his back and walks away.
“But I love you,” falls from my lips in a whisper.
I doubt he hears it above the rowdy bar. I doubt he hears the sob that rises up my throat. I doubt he even cares.
No longer able to watch him, I hurry to the bathroom and lock myself inside. I lean against the door, sharp breaths spiking through me. Sam’s leaving. Tonight. We’re over. Earlier, this was what I wanted. So angry at what I thought he’d done, I threw our relationship in his face. Did it crush him like this? Did he feel like he was dying, too? My hands tremble, it hurts to breathe, and swallowing is an effort. I don’t even know how we got here. We had a fight. Couples fight. It was a misunderstanding. We should be having wild, crazy, romance-novel make-up sex. Instead, he broke up with me.
Needing to speak with Leigh, I yank my phone from my purse. I look down, blinking back tears, and a message greets me. My hands shake more. Please be Sam. But it’s Mom, finally. It took her long enough to reply. My empty