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“I don’t…”
“You don’t what?” Bex said. “Just say it. That’s the problem with us, isn’t it? We never really talk to each other. You tell me what happened in the classroom, and I tell you my frustrations with a vendor, but we never talk about the things that matter.”
“I’m scared.”
“About what a future without me looks like? Because as much as it hurts to break up, isn’t it exciting to think what kind of relationship you can have? One with passion and a real connection? We never had that. I see that now.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but…I mean, what have we been doing all this time?”
Bex’s tone softened. “I think we’ve been keeping each other company, filling in the empty spaces.”
“Is that all I ever was to you?”
“I don’t know, but I know that’s what it’s become. And we both deserve better.”
“Bex…” There was something plaintive in Mary’s tone. Something…off.
“Look, none of this makes sense. You plan a wedding without talking to me, show up on my bus…in a wedding gown…Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?”
“It’s what I said. I’m tired of being in a holding pattern. I wanted to…” Mary exhaled in defeat. “There’s this guy at school, Eric. A teacher. We’ve been spending a lot of time together. I really like him, but I’ve been with you for so long, it didn’t make sense to break up with you and start something with him when it might not go anywhere.”
“But don’t you want to try? I didn’t understand how much more there was until I met my assistant. Is that how you feel about Eric?”
My assistant.
That’s all I am to him?She was nothing more than someone who’d taken the time to ask some questions and get to know him. A contrast to his girlfriend.
“Yes,” Mary said quietly. “But it means letting go of what I thought was my future.”
Fuck the shoe.She’d rather walk barefoot on asphalt in Las Vegas than hear more of this conversation. She pulled her foot out of the pump and flexed her toes. She was ready to give it one more tug, when she heard Mary ask, “Do you love her?”
True to his character, he went quiet. Because he always gave a thoughtful answer.
As the seconds ticked by, tension wound tighter in her chest until she thought her ribs might crack.
And then he said, “I’ve only known her three days.”
“Come on, Bex. We’re finally being honest with each other. If we’re going to end a six-year relationship, let’s both have the decency to do it with integrity.”
Her skin tingled, her stomach contracted into a knot, and Della thought she might throw up.
Her life hinged on this answer. If he wanted to be with her, she would stay. She was all-in. She’d take her shot with this man she’d connected with on the deepest level.
But if he didn’t want her, she had no other choice than to go home and figure out a new path for herself.
“Hey, it’s okay if it’s just her looks. I know you’ve been faithful to me all these years, but it must’ve been hard with all the fans and models and movie stars you’re surrounded with. I’m sure you were tempted. And that woman just oozes sex.”
“Just her looks? Are you…Jesus, her looks are the least of it. I can’t love someone I just met, but yes, I have feelings for her. It’s the way we are together. It’s the way I miss her when I’m not with her, and the way I think about her constantly. It’s the way I break out in goosebumps when our arms brush in the car. I’ve never been this way before, and while it scares the shit out of me, I also can’t stop it. Three days with Della, and I yearn for her every second I’m not with her.”
Oh, my God. She shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, obviously, but she was so glad she’d stayed to hear him confess his feelings.
Tugging and twisting, she finally yanked the heel free and slid her foot back in. She’d go for a walk. And when she came back, she’d tell him how she felt. She’d have to quit working for him, but that was okay. She could start her business anywhere. As long as they were together—
“But I’m just getting out of a six-year relationship, and I’m not going right into another one. Not only do I need time, but I would never make her my rebound.”
And there you go.
In the blink of an eye, all Della’s hopes crashed and burned.
