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“When’s this cold shoulder thing gonna stop, Lauren?” he asks, his tone dripping with impatience.
“Never.”
He chuckles a little but there’s nothing comical about what I said or his laughter. I cut him off, shut him out of my life just one day after what was supposed to be our wedding. He didn’t get it then and he still doesn’t get it now.
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you, but my calls won’t go through and you don’t answer my emails. Had to show up on a Monday so I could get past the gate attendant.”
Everything he says should be a huge fucking clue that I want nothing to do with him, but he’s oblivious. He can’t understand why someone would turn him away. He’s far too important and self-absorbed to rationalize it.
“Wow, you’d think after nearly a year of radio silence you’d get the point…”
Nate cuts me off, again his words laced with annoyance, “So you’re still mad about that whole wedding thing, huh?”
“Nope,” I reply, my tone clipped.
“What’s the deal then?” he asks and now it’s me who’s laughing. I can’t even believe I’m standing here having this conversation with him. “So how long until I’m back on your good graces?”
“Never, Nate, never, honestly. I wish I never even knew you.”
He’ll debate this all day with me and I know Jack is in my house wondering what is going on, left with a million unanswered questions.
The day after the wedding, Nate showed up like nothing had happened. Telling me he just wasn’t ready to get married and that my life would always belong to the vineyard and my job. He wanted me to walk away from it all, leave it all to Ellen and get a job in what he dubbed “the real world”.
This place is my real world and it always will be; something he could never appreciate or understand. He claimed he’d been having cold feet for months before the wedding but couldn’t bring himself to tell me, so instead of growing a pair he found it wise to let all one hundred-fifty of our guests show up blissfully unaware.
It wasn’t like a movie; there was nothing humorous or silly about it. It was just me waiting and eventually Ellen walked back to the small bridal suite to tell me that Nate’s mom said he’s not coming.
He didn’t even have the common decency to tell me himself. He sent a text to his mom who was seated in the front row as clueless as everyone else.
I was the one who returned all the gifts, sent back all the checks, apologized to everyone in attendance, and I did it all without tears.
I saved those and the embarrassment that lingered for later.
“That’s harsh, Lauren,” Nate says, his hand over his heart like I’m supposed to feel sorry for him. There wasn’t an ounce of sympathy given for what he did to me and as much as I’m not a vendetta kind of person, I owe him nothing. He gets nothing from me anymore, including my time.
“It’s reality and if you show up here one more time, I’ll call the police and report you for harassment.”
He holds his hands up defensively but smirks at me like this is all one big joke. He steps closer and I shake my head, my lips set in a firm line.
“You know I don’t give up that easily,” Nate says, a smarmy smile on his face, my words not sinking in at all.
“Try me, Nate, just try me.” I have no qualms about picking up my phone and hitting those three simple numbers to let him know I’m not playing around. I want nothing to do with him.
“You’re being ridiculous, Lauren,” he says condescendingly, this time trying to make me feel small and out of control, like my feelings don’t matter.
“I’m going to ask you to leave one more time and then I’m calling the police,” I answer back, my words firm and this time louder than I would like, because he doesn’t get to control anything about me.
“Seriously…” Nate starts, but his words fall short and his eyes shoot to the doorway of my house.
“Hey, mate, I’m pretty sure she’s asked you to leave,” Jack says coming up behind me, but moving so he’s now standing just slightly in front of me.
“I got this, Jack,” I whisper, my hand sliding down his arm as I give his hand a little squeeze.
“I’m sure you do,” he replies back, turning toward me and pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “Just in case,” he adds, winking at me.
It only takes Nate a few seconds to catch up, watching Jack and me together before he walks back to his car without saying anything else.
Something tells me this won’t be the last time I see him though.
