She’s not even listening.“Know about what?”
“Him seeing someone else.”
“It’s a picture. It could have been taken the first night he was out there. God knows he deserves to fuck whoever he wants after what you did to him.”
“I wasn’t the only one involved.”
“But you were the only one in a relationship.”
Her face falls into her hands. “He won’t talk to me.”
“Why would he want to?” I glance towards where Carey and Liv are watching an old lady walk out of Watersons’ with her arms loaded with bags.
“I made a mistake. I want to apologize… I want him back.”
I laugh. It’s rude, but I can’t help it. “Are things over with Reeze already?”
“They have been since before Christmas… He got distant as soon as I moved into my new place."
“You’re a lot to handle, Shawn.”
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“It shouldn’t be. But if you get with a guy just because your boyfriend caught you cheating with him… That’s not really the basis of a great relationship.”
“I know.” She hangs her head. “I’m just so lonely.”
I scoff again. I’m not trying to be a dick, but what does she expect? “You brought this all on yourself.”
“Eden had been pulling away from me for months. He’s never been a workaholic, then six months ago he started taking on extra clients. He stopped wanting to go out. He didn’t take me to the last convention. All we did was have sex and fight.”
“Don't you have friends you can tell this to?”
“No one will talk to me. I’ve tried Anaise so many times but she won’t answer the phone.”
“That’s 'cause she’sourfriend.”
I watch tears start to fall into Shawn’s lap, but they still don’t dredge up any sympathy. Even though I’ve come to accept that I would never have gotten with Carey if she hadn’t fuckedeverything up, I still can’t feel sorry for her. So what if Eden’s sleeping with someone else? Did she expect he’d turn celibate without her? They didn’t know each other's names the first time they slept together, five years in a relationship with her wasn’t going to change the person he is. Shawn is spiteful, but Eden is an asshole. Every single cell in his body is a real piece of shit, so I’m shocked he only sent her one picture.
Shawn sniffles, and I wish she’d just leave. I want to shut the shop for the day and take Carey somewhere.
“I’m gonna go help her,” I hear Carey tell Liv, then the door bell chimes as he steps outside.
The day is sunny, the street is mostly clear of snow, and I watch from the corner of my eye as he approaches the crosswalk then jogs across it. Carey meets the old lady in front of the Emerald Dragon, and even from here I can see her surprise morph into gratefulness. She hands most of her bags off to the sweetest man I’ve ever known before gesturing back over the street.
“Do you have any tissues?”
My head flops back towards Shawn. “You know where they are.”
She glares back at me, and I see her. The real her. The heinous bitch that’s always lying just below the surface.
“How did we all deal with you for five years?”
Her lips quiver. “That’s so mean.”
“Is it because as long as you were getting your way, you kept your shitty personality at bay?”
“Fuck you—”
