Returning my attention to the screen, I do exactly that.
Adriana: Also, I heard you were engaged. Congratulations. I’m really happy for you.
Both messages are time-stamped two days ago, with an incoming reply from Allie marked just one day later.
Allie: Thank you. I appreciate that.
Short. Sweet. Leave it to Allie not to give anything away.
Adriana: It’s the least I could do. Wishing the best for you. xx A
There’s another response from Allie, this one from earlier today.
Allie: Can I ask you something?
Adriana: Anything.
Allie: Did you love him? Is that why you went behind my back?
Allie: Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. Ignore me. None of it matters now, anyway.
Adriana: I didn’t. And you can ask me anything. You deserve whatever answers you need.
Adriana: I wanted to feel loved. It’s not an excuse. I can’t justify what I did and I won’t try to. But I guess I thought if I slept with him, he’d love me the way he loved you. I’m sorry. I fucked up and it was wrong.
Allie: Oh A. I’m so sorry.
Adriana: You don’t have any reason to apologize to me. Don’t be sorry. This is all on me.
Allie: I know what things were like for you …
My mouth dips into a frown as I read, confusion settling in. Was there something going on with Adriana back then that we didn’t know about?
I continue scanning the messages.
Allie: I wish you told me that before. When it all happened. Why didn’t you? I was sorta waiting for you to reach out and when you didn’t *shrugging emoji*
Adriana: Your entire world was on fire. I knew I fucked up. The best thing I could do for you then was leave you alone.
Shit. Adriana’s really laying it all out there. I won’t lie, I didn’t really expect her to follow through. But based on Allie’s reaction, I’m glad she did.
Allie: I’m running late to work. Can we talk later? I’ll call you, maybe. If that’s okay?
Adriana: Okay.
I hand Adriana’s phone back to her after that, and she hastily shoves it in her back pocket.
“Happy now?” she asks, still biting her lip.
“Are you?” I ask, genuinely curious.
Her eyes look everywhere but at me, and her blinks come fast and hard.
“Yeah,” she says, her voice catching slightly.
“I told you she wanted to hear from you,” I tease, a small smirk playing at my lips.
“You always have to be right, don’t you?”
