- 4.
“Like a sister.” Did he forget last New Year’s
Eve when Josh bought fireworks and asked him
to join? Ethan had just lounged beside me,
grinning. “Nah, I’m staying with my Olivia.”
Someone had teased, “Since when is she your
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10:07
Olivia?” He’d tossed a clementine at them, laughing. “Always has been! She’s practically my childhood sweetheart!” Just six months ago… and now I was a sister. I pressed a hand to my chest. There was a pang, a dull ache, but nowhere near as devastating as I’d expected. Instead, there was a sense of closure, like
finally receiving a rejection letter from a literary magazine twelve years after submitting a story I’d poured my heart into. It was a calm acceptance: “Oh, okay. I see.” The years of
waiting had worn down the initial excitement and hope. My feelings for Ethan were the same.
Not gone, just… dormant. The outcome no
longer held the same power over me.
