“Thanks, Sammy.” I look at him, grateful for his help. Ethan helps me stand up and then picks up his and Liv’s bikes from the ground. Sam already has his and mine, and the four of us slowly walk home.
When we get home, I can’t hold back the tears any longer as Mom cleans and bandages the gashes.
Sam, Liv, Ethan, and I spend the rest of the day eating ice cream sundaes and watchingDisney movies together.
***
Present Day
Sam and I walk into my parents’ house, and I pause the moment we step inside. “What’s wrong, Kitty Kat?” Sam stops walking, too, and looks back at me. Worry etched across his expression.
I think I hear Philip’s voice, but that doesn’t make any sense. “I… I think I hear Philip.”
“Who’s Philip?”
I ignore his question and walk towards the voices I hear.
Philip and I work for the same law firm in Columbia. We met when I was a first-year associate, and he was a third-year associate. Philip was handsome in a traditional way: tall, broad shoulders, blue eyes, and blonde hair. Many of the women at the firm had crushes on him.
I thought he was an asshole. He walked around the firm like he owned the place. Arrogance wafted from every pore of his body. I knew he was going to be the death of me. Probably because I wouldn’t be able to hold back stabbing him with my pen, or calling him an asshole to his face.
A few months after I joined the firm, he and I were put on the same case, which required us to spend almost every waking hour together. That's the thing about being a new associate: you were always assigned the grunt work that required you to be in the office for twelve or more hours each day. Some people enjoy document review. I’m not one of them.
So, there we were, confined to the law firm library with stacks of documents surrounding us, waiting to be reviewed and categorized. To maximize our time, we frequently ordered lunch and dinner and ate while we worked.
When you spend this much time with someone, it’s inevitable to talk and actually get to know them. And that is exactly what we did over the next several months.
Philip’s grandfather was a prominent judge in town. “I feel like everyone expects me to follow in his footsteps. Like, I have to be the best lawyer, better than everyone else. Honestly, Katherine, it’s exhausting.”
After a while, I realized my initial impression of Philip was wrong. He was kind and generous. Slowly, we became friends.
When our document review was finally over, he asked me on a date, and I was ecstatic.
But no matter how much I tried, things never really clicked for me with Philip. I continued our relationship because it was comfortable. And after a year, I knew his feelings ran deeper than mine. I couldn’t let it go on any longer.
I never fell in love with Philip because I was too busy loving someone else. So, I broke things off. It’s been a little over two weeks, and we haven’t really talked since.
I walk into the kitchen, where I see my parents and Philip sitting at the table, chatting and drinking tea. They look like they’ve been buddies for a long time, which is weird because I never introduced him to my family. Sam is right on my heels and stops right behind me, blocking the exit.
“Philip, what are you doing here?” It comes out accusatory as I cross my arms.
Philip stands up and starts to make his way over to me. Before he reaches me, I step back, knocking into Sam’s chest. The heat radiating into my back from Sam is distracting, and I feel my body slightly relax into him.
Philip’s expression flashes with anger, but he quickly schools his features and halts his approach. “Olivia told me what happened. I’m so sorry, baby. I came as quickly as I could.”
What the fuck, Liv?
I hear Sam mutter “baby?” under his breath. I ignore him. It takes everything in me not to look at Philip and correct the endearment he just gave me.
Still leaning against Sam, I straighten up and take the smallest step forward. Not enough to give Philip ideas, but enough to create some distance between Sam’s body pressed against mine.
“Maybe we should talk in the other room.” He looks at me like I’ve wounded him.I do NOT want to have this conversation with an audience—and especially not in front of Sam.
Sam steps aside so we can pass, and I motion for Philip to follow me. Avoiding Sam’s gaze as I walk out of the kitchen, I lead Philip through the formal dining room to the living room on the other side of the house. I sit down in one of the armchairs and point him to the one across from me.
Sitting down, he looks at me tentatively, “You don’t seem happy to see me, baby.”
I sigh heavily, trying to calm my breathing, and just stare at Philip for a moment. “We broke up. Over two weeks ago, we haven’t spoken since. So, I guess I’m just really confused as to why you are in my parents’ home talking to them like you’re besties.”
