AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t,” she cut me off.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t make this worse.”
I pulled back. “Why would I do that?”
“Every time we have a moment, you pick a fight. Just—let this be.”
She finally met my gaze and I froze. Was she hurting that much because of me?
I had to remind myself that our arguments weren’t the biggest reason she was hurting. She hadn’t been this hurt after the break room or the balcony. She was in pain because of what she’d done to me, and that was her fault, even if I could have gone a little easier on her.
But most of all, I wished I could undo that—undo all of it, the pain in her eyes, the ache in my chest.
Maybe it was a good thing I was holding this box because I didn’t know if I could keep myself from trying to hug her, and that might be the stupidest thing I’d done in the last two months.
Or the smartest.
As if she read my mind, Cassie focused on the box in my arms. “Oh, Phil.”
I looked down at the philodendron who’d cheered my office for these last couple weeks—who’d kept me company in the isolation room. “He’s a great plant. He was exactly what I needed.”
As soon as the words were out, I knew they were wrong. Because I was looking at exactly what I needed: someone who was kind and caring. Someone I’d hurt so much that she was quitting a job she was amazing at.
“He’s yours, isn’t he?” I asked.
Her smile was tight. “He was.”
“Here.” I tried to shift my box to reach in and grab Phil’s pot. It wasn’t right for me to take him from her.
“No, you keep him.”
I couldn’t do that to her. “It’s not right.”
“He can be a gift. A good luck gift. Just don’t water him too much.”
“Does he not look okay?” I examined his leaves, but they looked healthy, still glossy emerald green with their creamy stripes.
“He looks great. It’s just easy to love philodendrons to death.”
“I’ve been trying to take good care of him.” That didn’t feel like enough, so I added, “I learned from the best.”
She shook her head. “Certainly not the best at reading people.”
That definitely had to be a reference to what I’d said to her. Somehow.
“You were right,” she continued before I could speak. “About Dr. Donaldson.”
“Oh? Really?” Not that I was surprised he was into her—could not blame him there—but that she’d realized it. “Was that... awkward?” Or maybe it was good—maybe it was great. Maybe they’d be very happy together.
“No.” Her falling tone conveyed uncertainty, though. I didn’t know what to make of that.
The elevator shuddered and slowed long enough for me to hope maybe we’d be stuck here and have to talk through this.
Before I had a chance to think about how insanely twisted it was to hope you got stuck in an elevator with someone who’d broken your heart—a sure recipe for either reconciliation or murder—the elevator chimed. We’d reached the lobby.
Cassie was leaving.
