“Can I help you?”
“Uh…” I resist the urge to check if I got the apartment wrong somehow. “Is Shawn here?”
Recognition crosses her face, along with a hint of regret that I hope I’m imagining. “Oh, you’re—He’s not here. He went out to buy our pie. Do you need something?”
I open and close my mouth. “I’m just here to get something of mine that I left. A box of embroidery thread.”
She ponders for a moment, then holds the door open for me. I hesitate.
She waves me inside. “I haven’t seen it, but I have an idea of where it could be. Come in while I look.”
A strange, tense sensation settles in my chest when I step through the door. The place smells different. Like perfume—one I’d never wear. There’s a candle lit on the side table in the entrance that’s not mine, along with other feminine touches that stand out as I catalog the differences from the bachelor pad I knew his place as.
The table is set for an intimate holiday meal for two and something mouthwatering roasts in the oven. I don’t want to believe what my instincts are picking up. It’s hard to ignore the signs piling up one after the other the further I venture into the apartment.
“Wait out here. I’ll only be a minute,” she says.
While she’s gone, I peek in the hallway closet. A few pairs of her shoes sit next to his, along with her coats. There’s a calendar he didn’t own before tacked to the wall in the kitchen with handwriting much neater than his.
This woman lives with Shawn. It’s only been two weeks. There’s no way he fell so head over heels for someone else that he’d ask her to move in that quickly.
Which means he was cheating on me. I purse my lips, willing my swirling emotions to vanish. Blood rushes in my ears.
Is it hot in here? It feels way too stuffy.
How long was he stringing me along while he cheated with someone else? Is that why he broke things off with me? Does any of it even matter? Did I?
My eyes slam shut. It only helps a little. I try to stop feeling everything all at once, attempting to rationalize that things were never serious between us. It was a college fling that lasted too long because it was familiar.
Still. That asshole didn’t have to cheat on me if he met someone else. I thought he was a coward for texting me to dump me. A bitter laugh escapes me.
I cover my mouth as things click into place. Flimsy excuses lately about not being able to have me over. Things moved around that I wrote off as nothing.
My gaze snaps to the hall leading to the bedroom. She recognized me. She must know I dated Shawn. But was she aware of what he was doing behind my back? Did he do it to both of us?
The flash of guilt on her face is telling. Talk about not being a girl’s girl. I could never do this to someone else.
This is too much. I rub my temples while my heart beats hard enough to burst from my chest at any moment. I’m not interested in confronting this girl or waiting around for Shawn. I don’t want to hear either of their explanations or apologies. I need to get out of here.Now.
“Sorry, I have to go. Emergency turkey situation.” I call out the lie without waiting for her to answer before I’m out the door.
In the elevator, I realize that I got so worked up, I ended up forgetting my damn embroidery box. Irritation tugs at me, skittering along my skin until I feel like I’m vibrating with it. I force out a breath to release some of the overwhelm from my emotions drowning me.
I’m not going back for it again. I’ll have to rebuy it.
The ride goes by in a blur. I leave the building as fast as my legs will carry me without breaking into a run.
I love my red boots. They make me feel like a confident boss bitch. Running in them? Bad idea. With my luck, I’ll catch the chunky heels on something and break my ankle. I’m not spending Thanksgiving in the emergency room or explaining to anyone how I hurt myself.
The further I walk through town, the easier it is to breathe again.
I stomp on an especially crisp looking leaf, pretending it’s my ex’s face. It’s marginally satisfying and gives me an outlet.
“Fuck him,” I mumble.
Shawn doesn’t deserve another second of my time or an inch of space in my mind. I’m so fucking done with him. And I sure as hell won’t let him ruin my day.
I shove this bullshit with him to a corner of my mind and turn down the tree and lamp-lined road that heads through the center of town. The historic lamps are spruced up with seasonal banners and snowflake light decorations that illuminate at night.
