reason why I’m here.”
“And why are we here, Andrew?”
He sipped his drink, and I could sense he was preparing for what to say next. “Because I want us to be together again.”
And there it was. His words tumbled out of his mouth like a procession of bowling balls, landing with thuds and crashes on the table.
It was like everything came to a standstill. Sure, in the back of my mind I’d been preparing for something like this. And the flowers he’d sent – not to mention the ones lying flat on the table at that very moment – weren’t exactly a subtle statement of intent.
But hearing him come out with the words…was something else.
“You…what?”
“I want to be together again.” He repeated the words, this time with more confidence. “Annie, it was a total mistake for us to break up.”
“A mistake you made,” I was quick to add.
“That doesn’t matter. I screwed up, and you did too.”
“Wait, how did I screw up?”
“By just letting it happen. When I broke up with you, you didn’t try to fight for me or anything. You simply said okay, packed your things, and moved to White Pines.”
“I wasn’t aware I was supposed to fight for you,” I scoffed. “See, I’m big on this thing called taking people at their word. You ended our relationship because your job was more important than me. Which I’ll admit hurt like a bitch at first.”
He said nothing, a slightly worried expression on his face, as if he knew I was in the middle of telling him something he wouldn’t like hearing.
“But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was for the best. You and me, Andrew, we weren’t meant to be together. It took you breaking up with me for me to realize it.”
“It doesn’t have to be like that,” he insisted, leaning forward. “I mean, think about it – I’m doing well for myself, and you’re in a spot in your life where you’re still figuring things out. We get along great, and we’ve got good chemistry in the bedroom.”
“Oh, you mean the chemistry where you thought two-and-a-half minutes of missionary constituted satisfying sex?” I couldn’t believe I said that out loud. After they slipped out, I looked around, noticing that a handful of people had stopped their conversations and were regarding us with expressions of surprise. “What?” I asked out loud. “It’s true!”
Andrew’s eyes flashed. “Annie! Keep it down!”
I didn’t want to attract any more attention, so I lowered my voice as my gaze returned to him. “But I’m serious, Andrew – we dated and we broke up, and when we broke up, it was for the best. If you’re looking back on what we had and seeing things that weren’t there, then there’s nothing I can do. Because when I look back, I see some good times, sure, but mostly two people who were dating for as long as they did because of inertia.”
“Inertia? That’s all our relationship was to you?”
“It…it was more than that,” I admitted. “But it ended and that’s that – it’s not coming back.”
He looked hurt. Actually, to say he looked hurt was like saying a kid was disappointed when he found out Santa wasn’t real.
“That’s how you feel?”
“That’s how I feel.”
“So what, now you’re just going to run off and date my brother? That’s some really sick shit, Annie.”
“It’s not sick – I had no idea who he was.”
He snorted and smirked mockingly. “Yeah, and I’m sure he didn’t have any idea, either.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on, Annie. Do you really think Duncan just happened to end up dating my ex-girlfriend?”
“He said you didn’t really tell him about me.”
“That’s right, I didn’t. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t look you up or happen to come across a picture of the two of us on social media. You’re a smart girl – do you really think this is some kind of coincidence?” He got up, opening up his wallet and tossing a pair of twenties on to the table. “I’m paying for these drinks, like it or not. And think about it, Annie. I don’t give a damn what he told you – you know he’s lying. He scammed his way into your life, and now you’re choosing the liar over the man who knows you, who cares about you. This was your chance. I hope you can live with your decision.”
He turned, walked away, and was gone.
And I was left alone with my thoughts. Was he