M-
From the moment we met, I knew you were it for me. But we come from two different worlds that are determined to keep us apart. I promise you I will find a way for us to be together. Don’t give up hope.
Stay safe and know I’m thinking of you always.
J
The letter shows up under the door of my dorm room on the last day of school. I don’t recognize the handwriting on the envelope. I rip open the door and look around, but the hallway is empty.
I read it half a dozen times, but I only grow more confused with each reading. Was I the intended recipient? It’s addressed to “M,” which I guess could be a nickname for Em, but I search my brain for who the “J” could be and come up short. I don’t know anyone with a J name that would write me a letter like this. And the only person on campus that I have anysort of romantic connection to is Trent who never expressed such intense feelings for me.
Could it be from Daddy Dom? And could his name start with a J? I think about texting Alyx, but that man’s a vault, and I know he won’t tell me even if I did guess.
It feels like something Daddy Dom would say, but given the fact that he broke up with me and hasn’t returned any of my calls or texts, I doubt it’s him. Plus, he lives an hour away in Columbus.
Regardless of who sent it and whether I was the intended recipient, it breaks my heart to read, so I stuff it in my bag along with all my feelings as I pack up my dorm room and remind myself to schedule another appointment with my therapist. I have too much to cover with her lately.
——————
It’s early June when I get a text from Ethan asking me to bring him groceries while he recovers from his vasectomy. I moved back into Mom and Dad’s after finals, and I haven’t left my room in days. And while I’m thrilled to finally be done with Professor A-hole, I’m reeling over the loss of Daddy Dom.
What is wrong with me? I never even saw the man’s face, never heard his real voice, and I don’t know his real name. So how can it hurt this bad when I don’t know who he really is?
Because he saw the real me. Not the version of me I show to the world. The real me, broken and messy. And I thought he wanted me anyway, but his abrupt dismissal of me still has me reeling weeks later.
Ethan
Make sure you get everything on the list. We’re making one of Nonna’s recipes tonight. You’re welcome to join us.
I don’t want to drive an hour to you. Can’t you just use a delivery service?
I could, but then I wouldn’t get to see you.
Mom or Ella?
Huh?
Which snitch texted you?
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Cut the crap, Ethan.
Since when are you this bossy?
ETHAN
Mom. She said you haven’t left your room in days. And she’s been bringing you food. Come over and cook with us. I’d come get you, but I just had surgery and can’t drive.
Ugh, fine. Just text me the list.
After I pick up everything on Ethan’s list, drop it at his place, and unexpectedly cry in his girlfriend’s arms, my plans change for the night. Bridget and Ethan have been cooking some of Nonna’s recipes lately, and Ethan’s lounging on a stool, an ice pack on his crotch, bossing me and Bridget around in the kitchen.
The two of them are ridiculously cute, and it’s a stark reminder of how alone I am, hence the spontaneous tears. The only man that’s ever been able to touch me walked away without a second glance. It hurts how easily he was able to do that, like our time together meant nothing to him when it meant everything to me.
“So what are your plans this summer?” Bridget asks as she snuggles into Ethan’s side on the couch.
“Hellcat,” he warns, “I’m going to need you to sit somewhere else. No snuggling against me until I’m fully healed.”
