I had forgotten this morning. But his entitled
tone made me frown.
I replied, “Forgot. Figure it out.”
Work was crazy, and I didn’t check my phone
again until almost quitting time. Liam texted:
“Picking you up.”
2
Fine by me.
I waited downstairs for half an hour, but his
<
car never showed.
My phone rang. It was Liam.
“You downstairs yet?”
I looked around. “Yeah, I’m at the front. Don’t
see you.”
Liam sighed loudly.
I knew that sound. Back in the day, he would
make the same noise when he waited for me
for too long. He was trying to calm down.
I guess he was trying to make up for last
night, because he didn’t lose it. He just asked
calmly, “Did they move the entrance?”
I started to realize what had happened. “Are
<
you at the old building?”
He raised his voice, clearly annoyed. “Of
course! Where else would I be?”
He didn’t even know we moved to a building
two blocks away.
I’d texted him the new address when we
moved last year.
“I’ll just get a ride,” I said.
Liam hung up without saying goodbye.
When I got home, Liam was already sitting on
the couch.
He’d never done that before. I would always
get home first and make dinner, waiting for
More often than not, the food would get cold
before he arrived.
When he did arrive, I’d complain about it.
He’d just stare at me. “Am I supposed to
revolve around you? Can’t you just eat by
yourself?”
“But the food gets cold…”
“So throw it away. Is that what you want to
fight about?”
So I stopped saying anything. I started putting
his portion in a warming drawer.
I’d eat dinner and wait for him in the living
room.
Г
Liam actually walked over to me when I
walked in.
He was trying to explain. “Honey, I was so
busy, I didn’t know you moved offices. I didn’t
mean to go to the wrong place.”
I took off my coat. “It’s okay.”
He was studying my face. “Last night was
late, and the rain was bad. Chloe lives really
far away… and her lights went out at home,
so I helped fix them.”
I nodded and mumbled, “Okay.”
“You’re mad?”
I looked up, confused. “No.”
Г
I looked up, confused. “No.”
He was sure of it. His expression instantly changed from timid to accusatory.
“Yes, you are. I explained everything, but
you’re still acting like this. You didn’t even
make my breakfast, and now you’re
pretending to be all cool and detached!”
I realized something. A year ago, all of this would’ve sent me spiraling.
It’s happened so many times over the past
few years.
He’d just stand there, watching me like I was
a clown.
く
Looking back, I must have been so pathetic.
No wonder he didn’t want to be around me.
I didn’t have the energy to care about all of
that. I felt terrible from being sick.
“I’m gonna take a bath,” I said.
He moved closer. “Can I join?”
“Not tonight. I have a cold.”
I walked into the bathroom.
I heard the front door slam shut. Liam was
gone again.
3
Liam was giving me the silent treatment
again.
Every time he did that, I used to be a nervous wreck. I was always trying to find a way to
end it.
Maybe I could text him something by accident
and then delete it?
But Liam never texted me back.
He wouldn’t answer my calls.
I couldn’t focus at work. I’d just wait for it to
be quitting time so I could get home.
Now? It was like a weight had been lifted.
I wanted to clean. Dut Lion
