Page 105 of The Truth of Us

Theo’s brows lifted in question. “She doesn’t?”

“No.”

“Are you sure about that?”

I turned back toward the street. Harper and Oliver had stopped at the corner. She said something, and he laughed, loud enough that I could almost hear it over the traffic. Then he leaned down slightly, his mouth near her ear. Not kissing her; this was fucking worse. They were familiar… comfortable. The urge to cross the street came back so strong I took another step.

Theo grabbed my arm this time. “Don’t.”

“I need to talk to her.” I pleaded, and I didn’t care how desperate I sounded.

“No, you don’t.”

“You don’t know what I need,” I responded, trying to pull away from his hand. The air was so cold, I could see my laboured breathing puffing out in front of me.

“I know if you cross that street acting like this, she is going to remember exactly why she left you.”

That stopped me for half a second, long enough for the words to get under my skin. I looked down at myself. Hands clenched, breathing too fast, pulse pounding, every inch of me vibrating with something angry and desperate and humiliating. I looked exactly like the kind of man Harper should stay away from. The thought nearly knocked the air out of me.

Theo’s grip loosened slightly. “Look,” he said, quieter. “I know this hurts.”

I laughed once. “You know?”

“No. Not like you.” At least he was honest. “But I know enough to say you do not get to charge over there because she looks happy with someone else.”

“She’s not happy with him.” I countered.

Theo didn’t answer. Across the street, Harper pulled her coat tighter around herself. Oliver shifted beside her, blocking the wind without seeming to think about it. She said something; he smiled down at her. Then he lifted his phone. Harper shook her head immediately. He laughed, and he covered part of her face with one hand.

My stomach dropped.

Theo cursed softly. I didn’t know if it was for me or because he was realizing the same thing.

The idea of another man being close enough to her that they spent the holidays together while I was spiralling. And now here she was, ‌back in Chicago with him. Laughing with him, letting him take pictures, letting him touch her… letting him stand in the space I had lost.

I had never understood the phrase seeing red before. Now I did. But under the anger was something worse. Fear.

Because he obviously wasn’t a stranger. This wasn’t a rebound in a bar; he wasn’t someone she picked because she was lonely. Oliver Hastings looked at her as if he knew her, and Harper looked at him like she felt safe and comfortable at his side. That was the part that made my knees feel weak.

Theo spoke carefully. “Hastings is…”

“What?” I asked, sharper than I had intended.

He winced slightly. “A good guy.”

I turned on him. “Do not say that.”

“I’m just saying.” His hands came back up in front of him.

“Don’t.” I don't know if it was a command or a plea.

Theo held up his hands. “Fine.”

But his face said enough. Oliver Hastings was a good guy who was comfortable with Harper. Pulling her to his side like she was something precious and obvious.

Good fucking luck. The words weren't spoken, but I heard them anyway.

I stared across the street until Harper and Oliver disappeared into a cafe. Even then I kept staring, as if I looked hard enough, time would reverse. Like she would come back out alone, she would see me and smile at me. Like there was still a chance to call her name and have her turn toward me with something other than anger and hurt in her eyes. But the door closed behind them, and that didn’t happen.