“Goodbye, Imogen.”
“No, wait!” Fabric rustles and the rush of her breathing fades for a second, then comes back even louder. “I’m serious, Elijah. I made a mistake, okay? A pretty huge mistake.”
“A mistake is one time. You had a whole other relationship for months. That’s not a mistake.”
“It is! And can you blame me? You were so distant, and I was lonely, but I realize now that I did a terrible thing and I hurt you. I’m sorry, Elijah. I really am.”
My teeth clack together as I tense my jaw, mulling over that cold moment I arrived home early and walked in on Imogen fuckingthat guy on the kitchen counter. She looked at me like she wanted me to pry them apart, but I just left.
I felt nothing at the time.
Now, it’s like an ache in my chest. I didn’t love her. She didn’t love me. She’s just drunk.
“Imogen… we went over this. We’ve said all there is to say.”
“The lawyers were a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
“No.” I comb my fingers through my hair. “We both lived there for those two years. It was only fair that we split everything legally so you couldn’t come and sue me six months down the line.”
“I would never.”
“Yes, Imogen. You would.”
“Why are you being so harsh with me?” she whines. “I don’t understand.”
“Yes, you do. Listen to me, Imogen. We both know I was only with you because it made my mom happy. She was dying and she was terrified I would end up alone, so I kept up those appearances for a year and then an extra one because I was grieving so hard, I couldn’t think of anything else. But it wasn’t a relationship for either of us. If anything, it was a bad habit.”
“You asshole,” Imogen mutters and her voice grows thick as if she’s crying. “How can you say such cruel things to me?”
“I…” My heart skips a beat. “I’m not trying to be cruel, Imogen. I’m being honest. None of this should be a shock to you. You’re just… drunk. And I get that, I do. But you should be calling your man, not me.”
“But it’s you I miss.”
“No, it’s not. And I don’t miss you.”
“You’re lying to yourself,” Imogen mutters. “And I won’t be here when you realize it!”
“Goodbye, Imogen.”
An odd silence descends when I end the call, like the walls have crept closer and the air is a little thinner.
Imogen’s partly right. She deserves better than me. Our relationship was nothing more than a game orchestrated by my mother, and I went along with it because she was dying and it made her happy. There was never any love between us, only attachment to money and reputation.
I brush those thoughts away and head for the shower to wash away the tacky sweat clinging to my skin. It doesn’t take long for the pouring hot water to direct my thoughts to the one woman who has drawn feelings out of my heart. For a long time, I thought I was wired wrong. I thought part of me was broken because I was never interested in sleeping around.
And then I met Calliope.
The one who got away. There was something about her that just scratched my mind and my heart the perfect way. Maybe it was the way she spent a full forty minutes talking about her passion for ethical gem consumption while barely taking a breath and then blushing furiously when she realized I hadn’t spoken to her at all during her speech. Or it was the way she made me laugh so hard that my sides hurt. Or how beautiful she looked in the low lighting of the bar when I finally kissed her.
She was a one-night stand.
And I’ve never forgotten her. Now, she’s here. Like some crazy twist of fate, she’s back in my life and involved with my pet project like fate is trying to guide me right back to where I belong.
Do I have a chance? She made it clear that the past is in the past, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try again. Properly this time. I just have to make sure I’m not responsible for her losing her job. If there’s a way, then Buster will find it.
Calliope lingers in my thoughts for the rest of my shower and lulls me into a deep, soft sleep where the night we met mixes with that walk from the coffee shop.
The same beautiful woman, the same lightness in my heart, the same smile on her lips.
