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The bell rang again, so he opened the door.
“I decided I wanted to see you, just to be sure.”
“Here I am,” he said, hands out at his sides. “The same old Oliver.”
“You lost weight.”
“It’s from not working out.” He stood to the side to let her pass. “You must have gotten right in the car when we hung up.”
“Just about. You look good, Ollie. How do you feel?”
“I feel okay,” he said. “I was lying down. Come on back.”
She followed him to his bedroom. They’d lain together in that bed many times over the past eight years. Lying back down, his arms under his head, he watched her.
“So are you sure?” he asked, smiling.
She looked the length of him, his biceps in that T-shirt, the bulge in his jeans sending chills though her body. He never grabbed her, was never intense about their lovemaking. They just did it. The guy she was interested in now was small in stature compared to Oliver, shorter than Joanne even. But he was crazy about her and insatiable. He was always after her, the antithesis of Oliver.
“You are so cocky,” she replied. “I guess since we grew up together, we’ll always be friends. I’m glad we are breaking up being kind to each other. There was no cheating. Well, almost none. I didn’t really cheat until I got home last month.”
He cringed, her admission stinging in spite of his disinterest in her in that way.
“That doesn’t really count, though, because we knew we were through then. I knew you were through. It took me until just now really to be sure I was through,” he said. “You’re right. We’ll be friends.”
“What do you think was the final blow for us?” she asked, ready to tear it apart, psychoanalyze, beat it to death.
“Your disrespect about my job,” he said without hesitation. “From the day of the draft, I knew I was fighting a losing battle.”
“So you stuck around for a year and a half instead of ending it right then,” she stated.
“I stuck around hoping you’d come to your senses.”
“Whatever.”
She plunked down on the bed. There was zero desire emanating from him. Did her lack of enthusiasm about his job really cause him to stop wanting her? Pride wouldn’t allow her to ask that question. She was too afraid of the answer.
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to move to Detroit.”
“Yeah, well, now it looks like you wouldn’t have to.”
“But it’s too late,” she said sadly. “The damage has been done.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. It’s for the best. Chances are that if it hadn’t happened now, it would have after we got married, after having a family. Look at my mom and dad. All those years together and she was miserable with him because he didn’t give her what she needed. It would have been the same with us.”
“Oh God, how sad.” She got up off the bed. Looking down at him again, the loss of him would hit later and powerfully. “I’m going. Don’t see me out. It’s better this way.”
He didn’t get up, and she didn’t bother kissing him. On the way out, the door from the garage opened, and Charlie Saint in all his gorgeous glory came through the hallway. The Saint men were just beautiful, and she wondered how many women put up with their bullshit just to look at those bodies.
“Hi, Joanne,” he said solemnly. “Are you leaving?”
“Yes. We broke up. But it’s okay. I’m on my way out.”
“Well, I’m sorry, Joanne.”
She nodded and left him standing there. After the door closed, he locked it and walked back to Oliver’s bedroom.
“Hey, Pop,” he said, standing up to kiss his father. “Good to see you.”
