His smile faded, as if he saw right through me.
“Amy, there’s a poem that perfectly describes
you right now.”
A poem?
“What poem?” I asked.
“Though years may pass, all joyous scenes are
but a hollow show. Though a thousand styles of
beauty may unfold, with whom can I share
them?“”
I understood. He was saying I hadn’t moved on
from Josh. Even if someone better came along,
I wouldn’t see it, and I wouldn’t be able to
share my feelings with anyone else.
Seeing my expression darken, he explained,
“You’re not exactly subtle. And it’s not like I’m
trying to snoop, but you’re always on your
phone. I can’t help but see some of the
messages. I pretty much know what’s going on.
And,” he added, his brow furrowing, “I’m pretty
524
<
sure we are being followed.” Then, out of the
blue, he said, “There’s a poem for Josh too.” He quoted, “Sober up, I’ll sit beneath the flowers. Drunk, I’ll sleep beneath them too.‘
Even though he’s technically my rival, I have to admit, the guy’s persistent.
وو
I didn’t understand what he was getting at. He smiled gently. “What I’m saying is, follow
your heart. When you do that, everything else falls into place.”
I looked down. “It’s not that simple.” I paused. “But thank you, Sam. I’m sure you’ll find
someone wonderful.”
He chuckled. “Friend–zoning me already?” As we talked, the sky darkened and the
streetlights came on. My mom had made a feast and invited Sam to join us. She poured him a drink. “Dr. Evans, thank you again for
everything.”
Just as we raised our glasses, the doorbell
rang.
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I set down my drink. “I’ll get it.”
I noned the door to find
1པ༦]
hin white shirt
<
I opened the door to find Josh, his white shirt
rumpled beneath a dark trench coat, looking
like he’d just stepped off a plane. He glanced at the dining table, then pulled me outside. I let
him lead me to a quiet spot in the courtyard. He took off his coat and draped it over my
shoulders. “Are you cold?”
I shook my head.
He pulled out his phone and showed me a pre- recorded video. It was his mother. “Amy, hi. I owe you an apology. I don’t hate you. In fact, I always liked you. As a mother, I had to do what I thought was best for my son’s future. You know Josh. He’s…intense when it comes to love. He couldn’t see past you. I figured once you had kids of your own, you’d understand a mother’s heart and forgive me.” She paused. “Also, Josh hasn’t forgotten you. He even bought an apartment in the building across from yours.” She smiled warmly. “You’re both adults now. I don’t object to your relationship. I hope you two will be happy together.”
After the video ended, Josh handed me two
<
debit cards. “This one has fifty thousand
dollars. My mom wanted you to have it. Buy
something nice for yourself.” He then handed
me the other card. “This one has all my
savings. Everything I earn from now on is yours too. I won’t keep a cent for myself.”
He looked up at me, his hand tightening around
mine. “When I saw those pictures of you and
Sam going home together in the group chat…I almost lost it. I booked a flight immediately.” He explained, “I’ve been dealing with my mom and sorting things out with the company. I know
everything now, about what happened back then.” He looked at me earnestly. “I’m sorry,
Amy. I’ll never let anything like that happen
again.”
He gently pulled me into a hug, his warm breath against my ear. “Don’t leave me. Please.” He
told me he’d tried to forget me, but every time
he made that vow, he’d fail. He just couldn’t. It
was too hard.
I gently pushed him away, my curiosity piqued. “You bought an apartment across from me?
<
When?”
He pulled me closer and started walking. “The fall after we broke up. I made my first big score with the gaming company and thought…maybe it could be our place.” He looked down at me. “So…are you going to take me back?”
I pretended to be indifferent. “We’ll see.”
When we arrived at his apartment, I froze, staring in disbelief at the…green. Everything was green. Tears sprang to my eyes. Back in high school, we’d been walking past a newly built apartment building when I’d commented
that I wanted my future home to be decorated entirely in green.
Josh had asked, “Why green?”
I’d replied, “I love summer. The way the sunlight filters through the leaves. It’s beautiful. I want
to capture summer, to live in it.”
It had been a silly, offhand comment, but he’d
remembered. I quickly turned away and wiped my tears, muttering, “It’s hideous.”
He whispered, “It’s beautiful. You just forgot.”
I sniffled and walked into the bedroom. I
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instinctively reached for the nightstand drawer,
but Josh blocked me.
“There’s…nothing to see in there,” he
stammered nervously.
That was suspicious. Was there a picture of
another woman hidden inside? I knew it! He
was too handsome to have been single for seven years!
I stood up straight and pulled his ear. “Move it, Miller.”
He leaned his head on my shoulder, pleading, “Please, Amy, don’t.”
I narrowed my eyes. “One…”
“Two…”
“Josh, I’m warning you, when I get to four, we’re done.”
“Three…”
Before I could say “four,” he stepped aside, his
shoulders slumped in defeat.
I opened the drawer. Inside was a stack of train
tickets. I checked the dates. They were all
dated August 10th, my birthday. Next to the
tickets were order confirmations from the
<
tickets. I checked the dates. They were all
dated August 10th, my birthday. Next to the
tickets were order confirmations from the
–
bakery across from our high school my
favorite bakery. So, he was the one who’d been
sending me those cakes every year.
Tears streamed down my face.
Josh gently wiped them away with his calloused
thumb. “Don’t cry. You’ll get puffy.” He made a
silly face to make me laugh, then gently stroked
my hair. “This is the last time. I won’t make you
cry again.”
A year later, I wore a white dress, and Josh
wore a suit. From high school uniforms to
wedding attire, it was still the boy who’d made
my heart race in the hallway. As he slipped the
ring on my finger, the lights highlighted his
back, reminding me of the boy who’d turned around in the sunlight and called me, “Hey,
classmate.” It was perfect.
