I steady myself before I type out a brief synopsis of how I saw Brennan, but didn’t engage. As expected, my girls lose their proverbial minds.
Emery:
WHAT?
Christin:
ARE YOU KIDDING?
Maya:
Are you okay?
Me:
I’m fine.
Christin:
Do I need to sniff into things?
Me:
No. I mean, after all, why would he want to tarnish his good name by associating with mine?
Emery:
Because you’re a queen around Willow Creek.
Me:
And he traded me to be the king of ice hockey.
Maya:
More like the outdated mascot.
I feel warmth surge through me at their unceasing support. Then I redirect the focus to Maya. She went through one hell of a breakup that was viewed by most of the world. Hell, it earned the hashtag #EngagementGate.
Still, it’s a better topic than Brennan. Anything is.
Inside my apartment after work, I toe off my shoes letting the quiet surround me. My refrigerator hums loud enough to offer me comfort, but even that suddenly feels like too much background but not enough noise. Heading to my bedroom, I flick on the lamp before spying the partially open closet door.
The box is still there.
I haven’t touched it in years. Not since I convinced myself that moving on meant packing things away and calling it progress. I drag a chair over anyway, my pulse skipping for no good reason, and reach up.
I already know what’s inside and I know he’s why tonight I’ll open it again.
I carry it to the bed before sitting cross-legged on it like this is my dorm room instead of a one-bedroom apartment where I faced the consequences of heartbreak. Lifting the lid, it’s the smell that hits first—paper, time, and layered with his cologne.
I pull out a folded campus map, the edges frayed like it spent too much time in the pocket of a boy who refused to admit he had no sense of direction. My thumb brushes over the coffee stains on it fondly. I remember exactly how they got there.
He profusely apologizes in his lilting Irish accent after he realizes he spilled half of the drink on me. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I assure him as I wipe the coffee off my books.
“I promise I’ll apologize properly after practice.”
