Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 78915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“I love you,” she cuts me off, and my heart feels like it’s going to jump out of my chest. “I just didn’t know it until it was too late.”
“It’s not too late,” I say, the dread creeping into me. I walk over to her, and she doesn’t move away. I put my hand on her face. “It’s not too late.” My thumb rubs the tear away from her cheek that escaped. “Please, Becca. I love you.”
“Which makes this suck even more than I thought it would,” she says.
“We can make it work.” I will get down on my knees and beg her to stay with me. “I will do whatever.” I put my forehead on hers.
“But the thing is,” she says, “I can’t get over the fact you didn’t tell me.” She puts her hands on mine and slowly steps out of my reach. “In this whole thing, you never put me before anything.”
“You’re the only thing I thought about,” I say. “The only thing that ran through my mind.”
“Yet you couldn’t tell me,” she says. “You couldn’t just be honest with me. That is something I can’t get over. I can’t be just an afterthought.” She looks down. “I’m sorry. I just can’t forgive that. For my whole life, I was pushed to the side and not thought of. I can’t be with someone who treats me the same way.”
“There is nothing that I can say that will change your mind?” I don’t know if I’m asking her or telling her.
She shakes her head. “I wanted you to know that I get the whole marriage thing. But I don’t get the secret thing, especially from me. We were in a relationship. I was supposed to be your partner.”
“I’m so sorry.” It’s the only thing I can think to say.
“Me, too,” she says, taking a deep breath. “More than you know.” We stare at each other. “I’ll see myself out,” she says, walking past me. I call her name one last time.
“Becca.” I say her name, and she looks over her shoulder. “You are worth everything.” She smiles sadly at me, not hiding the tear running down her face this time.
“So are you, Nico,” she says right before she walks out of the room. I listen to her footsteps, getting farther and farther away from me. The pain in my chest gets stronger and stronger until I can’t stand it anymore, and I drop to my knees at the same time as the door slams shut.
I hear her car door, and I get up in time to look out the window and see the red lights fade into the distance. Turning, I go over to the bar and grab the bottle of scotch. I don’t bother with a glass.
I drink until the burning down my throat stops. I sit here until I hear more footsteps, and this time, I see Lizzie and Laurene walk into the room. “Oh, this is fun,” Lizzie says, coming over and sitting down in front of me.
“Was that bottle full?” Laurene asks, walking in and sitting next to Lizzie.
“You went to see Becca,” I say. “She came here.”
“I did,” Laurene says and then looks over at me. “I wanted her to know that you had no choice.”
I don’t say anything else. I just take another drink. “Getting drunk is not going to help you get her back,” Lizzie says to me.
“That ship has sailed,” I tell them. “It’s over.” The words taste so bitter in my mouth. “She can’t be with someone who doesn’t think about her.”
“I’m so sorry,” Laurene says, getting up and walking over to me. “I thought if she knew the whole story.”
“Oh, she gets the whole story.” I laugh bitterly. “She said she would have done the same. What she can’t forgive is my not even thinking about how she would feel.”
“I’m sure once she has time to sort through it all,” Lizzie says, trying to make me feel better, but I just look over at her.
“It’s done.” The words get stuck in my throat.
“I’m so sorry,” Laurene says. “This is all my fault.”
“Um, no, it’s not,” Lizzie says, going to her and putting her arm around her shoulder. “He should have told her what was going on.”
Laurene puts her hand on Lizzie’s leg, and she smiles up at her. “What the fuck is going on right now?” I point at both of them.
They look at each other again and then look at me. “Well, we have some news,” Lizzie says, beaming. “We’re getting married!” I gasp.
“Maybe we should have started with we are together before telling him we are getting married,” Laurene says, kissing her.
“What?” I sit up. “When?” I don’t wait for them to answer “How?” I look back and forth at them. “Where?”
“I’ve been in love with her for seven years,” Laurene says, looking at Lizzie.