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“Who me?” Connor asks, his face flushed. “I think you got the wrong guy.”
The guy shakes his head. “No, I remember you. Hard to forget since you—”
Connor clears his throat, cutting the man off. “Seriously, I’ve never been here before, so…”
The man’s gaze trails to me, then back to Connor. “Okay, if you say so.”
I wait for the guy to be out of earshot before standing up, whisper to Connor, “That was weird.”
“So weird,” Connor responds, retaking my hand. We go to the housewares section, where I pick up a vase. “This is cute, right?”
“It’s a vase, Ava,” he deadpans, his shoulders lifting. Sweat lines his hairline, and his eyes shift. First left. Then right.
“Are you feeling okay, because you look—”
“I’m fine. Get the vase.”
The man reappears, waving a stack of papers in the air. “Connor Ledger!” he beams. “I knew it was you! I never forget a face.” He stops in front of us, pointing to the receipts in his grasp. “That’s you, right?”
Connor swallows.
“See, we take copies of the driver’s license for people who come in and spend as much as you did.”
Connor’s lips thin to a line, and I can see the annoyance in his eyes.
I place the vase back on the table and step forward, my mind spinning. “Can I see that?” I ask.
“No,” Connor snaps.
“Sure!” says the man, happily handing it to me.
I look at the receipts, and sure enough, Connor’s ID is attached. Then I look at the items, one by one, my chest tightening with every line. Next to the descriptions are images of the products, the same products that fill my entire apartment. My stomach twists, my mind clearing as my heart pounds against my ribs. I look up at Connor, anger forcing the words: “What the hell did you do?”
He swallows, releases a breath. “Ava, it’s not—”
I slam the papers against his chest, my voice rising. “What did you do, Connor?!”
He refuses to take hold of the receipts, so they fall to the ground when I march off, my arms crossed. “Ava!” he calls after me, grasping my elbow to stop me from running away. Confusion pulses in my veins and I spin to him, my lip forming a snarl. “Did you get me that apartment?” I shake my head. “No, that apartment came with my mom’s care… they told me…” I lower my gaze, my eyes scattered as I try to make sense of everything that’s happened from then to now. I look up at him at the same time I release a staggering breath. “You bought the furniture to fill the apartment, but how did you—and why—and where did you get—”
“I’ll explain everything, but you just need to calm down.”
“Calm down?!” I screech. Shove his chest. “No more secrets, Connor! We agreed!”
The fucker laughs. Right in my face.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re so angry and you don’t even know why yet.”
“That’s not funny!”
He laughs again.
I spin on my heels, walk away. But he’s only a step behind me. Air fills my lungs the moment I step outside, and he’s talking, begging me to stop, but I won’t. Can’t. Tears of anger fill my eyes. All I can think about is how I forced someone else into financial debt. But it’s worse this time, so much worse, because—“Ava!” Connor grasps my elbow again, turning me to him. We’re on the sidewalk, blocking other pedestrians, and so he pulls me to the side, leans back against a truck—his truck—and I didn’t even know we were back where we started. Figuratively and literally. Hands on my waist, he pulls me between his legs. “Are you done?”
“Fuck you.”
He chuckles.
