So I couldn’t summon the will to be angry with him for barging into the house that up until six months ago had also been his.
“Sorry, I must have it on silent,” I explained, closing the door behind him, praying I could get him out of the house before he figured out I wasn’t alone.
“What’s the point of having a phone if you never answer it?” he chastised. An age-old criticism. One of many.
Okay, so maybe I did feel more than guilt about Chris.
Right then I was feeling a whole lot of relief that I was no longer tied to him in any way.
Because he was definitely a dick.
“I’ll make sure to put that on my screw up list,” I deadpanned.
Chris frowned, shoving his hands into his wool pea coat. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he remarked.
Of course he didn’t.
That was just Chris. He was callous and unfiltered.
Just as I had always been placid and unemotional.
We were a really horrible pair.
“It’s late, Chris. Why are you here?” I asked again, showing my growing impatience.
“I was worried when you didn’t answer the phone,” Chris went on.
“What did you think would have happened to me between here and the hospital? Alien abduction? Human trafficking? Don’t be ridiculous, Chris,” I chided in frustration.
“Given the unsavories you work with on a daily basis—”
“Why. Are. You. Here?” I demanded, cutting him off.
My ex-husband appeared surprised by my obvious anger. I supposed seeing any sort of emotion from me was shocking considering he hadn’t witnessed much of it in the time he had known me.
I looked at Chris long and hard, trying to remember why I had been drawn to him.
Because he’s nothing like Yoss.
The truth was obvious now that I could face it. Yoss, whether he was around or not, had dictated so much in my life.
I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
Physically Chris and Yoss were nothing alike. Yoss had dark hair; Chris had ginger locks that he insisted on dying brown. He hated being a redhead and I only realized his natural hair color a month after we had been married and found the box of hair dye in the trashcan.
Yoss was tall and lean. Chris spent too much time at the gym trying to overcompensate for his short stature. He and I could look each other in the eye when I wore heels.
Yoss was beautiful. His face was perfect.
Chris wasall right.
Yoss set me on fire.
Chris and I were only ever lukewarm.
I liked Chris. He could be funny. He was smart and knew random facts about interesting things. He had always been easy to talk to. I had enjoyed his company. For the most part.
But enjoying his company hadn’t been enough for either of us.
