Theo,
I love you, too. No matter what happens next, I want you to know that. I want it written out explicitly so that you can never let anyone make you doubt the time we spent together.
We always knew this was temporary. I’m going back to school, and you have to stay in the office. My brother would have probably killed us both. It’s not the sweetest ending, but it isn’t entirely bitter.
This was always coming, one way or another. That doesn’t make me love you any less.
Who knows? Maybe we’ll see each other soon.
I’m sorry for not giving a two-week notice.
Love always,
Evie.
I don’t want a two-week notice. This isn’t about work anymore. For the first time in my adult life, I have something—someone—that isn’t just about work. Fuck the office. Fuck my schedule. I wanther, and I want her right now. Here. With me. She belongs in my arms. We haven’t been able to sleep together in days, not since Christine arrived, but this is the first morning I crave her presence. I need to know she’s here.
We had one last night together, one night with her form curled up against mine, and she’s gone.
Wandering around the cabin makes that pretty damn clear. The pastries are the only thing she left in her wake, and when Itake a bite of one, it doesn’t taste as sweet anymore. It’s bland in my mouth—no fault of hers.
Anxiety and panic threaten to grip me, pulling me under their control with wretched claws. Will anything ever taste sweet again?
“Is she gone?” Christine asks from her bedroom doorway.
She’s already perfectly pulled together in a leather jacket and ironed pants. Her hair is on top of her head, slicked back and tight. Nothing about her has ever upset me before, but seeing her act so casually, as if she wasn’t the one to push Evie away…
My blood boils.
“Yeah,” I say through gritted teeth. “She’s gone. Thanks to you.”
Christine sighs. “I think we both know this was for the best. Don’t take your heartbreak out on me.”
“Why shouldn’t I? You did this! We were happy before you butted into our business. You… you told her she was ruining my career. How could you say that to her?”
Her lips pop open. “That is not what I meant. I meant thatyouare ruining your career.”
I snort. “Does that sound any better? Listen to yourself!”
“It sounds true. If you don’t like the sound of it, you just don’t like hearing the truth. There is not a single thing I can do about that.”
“I loved her.” I choke back a sob.
It’s not like I’m afraid to cry, but crying in front of Christine after everything she’s done to hurt me is another form of torture. She doesn’t deserve to see my tears.
“I know,” she says. “I can see that now.”
Christine can see that I love her, but it isn’t enough. It would never be enough for her or anyone. We were always going to catch scrutiny, and I deserve it, but Evie doesn’t deserve to feel like this. I know her heart is broken, too.
There were tears on the pillow she slept on, and that smile… the smile I love never quite came. It lives in my memories now.
“Doyou care?” Venom drips from my words. “Do you actually give a fuck how I feel?”
A side of her lip tugs up at the corner. “Is it too late to say I don’t care about your personal life?”
“A little too late for that, yeah.”
Her expression finally softens. Now, she’s closer to the friend I used to know than the ruthless businessperson she’s become. “Of course, I care. You’ve been lonely for years. I always wanted you to find someone.”
