“We are solid! Connor, please. If you walk out that door...”
“Quoi?” I turn to her, finally letting some of my pain show. “You’ll what, Meesha? Kiss someone else?”
She flinches. “That’s not fair.”
“Ça fait mal en crisse. None of this is fair.” I step outside, the cold rain immediately soaking through my jacket.
“Connor!” Her voice rises desperately behind me. “I love you! Please don’t go!”
I pause for just a moment, raindrops sliding down my face like the tears I refuse to shed. Without turning around, I say quietly, “Barre la porte. Lock the door behind me.”
The sound of her sobbing follows me to my car. As I finally pull away from the curb, rain begins to fall harder, matching the storm inside me.
En tout cas. Ten years of certainty shattered in a single night.
Meesha
The sound of myphone vibrating against the nightstand pulls me from a fitful sleep. I blink in the darkness, disoriented. I don’t know what time it is.
My hand fumbles for the phone, squinting at the light. 9:47 AM. Seventeen missed calls. Twenty-nine text messages.
What the hell?
I bolt upright, my heart suddenly pounding. Has something happened to Connor?
My fingers tremble as I scroll through the notifications. There are calls from all three of my parents, Jasmine, Jessa and Antonio. Text after text asking variations of,What happened? Are you okay? Call me.
My stomach drops as my phone vibrates again with an incoming call from Jessa. I swipe to answer, my voice thick with sleep and tears.
“Hello?”
“Meesha! Finally! Where have you been? I’ve been calling for hours.”
“I just woke up,” I manage, reaching to turn on the bedside lamp. The empty space beside me comes into sharp focus. “What’s going on? Why is everyone calling me?”
There’s a pause on Jessa’s end. “Connor sent an email at 7 AM to everyone. He canceled the wedding, Meesh.”
The room seems to tilt beneath me. “He what?”
“The email just said that due to unforeseen circumstances, the wedding is canceled. He apologized for the inconvenience and said all gifts would be returned.” Jessa’s voice softens. “What happened? You two seemed fine at the party until you suddenly disappeared.”
I press my hand against my mouth, trying to contain the sob building in my chest. I can’t tell her about Dennis. Not yet. Not when I can barely process it myself.
“We had a fight,” I say, the half-truth burning my tongue. “A bad one.”
“A fight bad enough to cancel your wedding?” Jessa sounds incredulous. “Meesh, what’s really going on?”
“Everyone’s worried,” Jessa continues. “Your mom called me an hour ago in a panic. She thought maybe you’d been in an accident since neither you nor Connor was answering.”
I open my email app with trembling fingers, and there it is.
Dear Friends and Family,
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the wedding scheduled for May 17th has been canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
All expenses incurred for the occasion will be reimbursed promptly.
Sincerely,
