Page 12 of Say It Isn't So

Nodding, he clapped his hands together and pointed to the door. “Good, then I’ll see you bright and early Monday morning.”

Chapter Four

Knox

a few months later

“Do you wantto order takeout?” I asked as I walked into the apartment, expecting Rina to say yes and offer to place the order while I showered since she’d already been home for a while (she texted and told me—we were cool like that and kept tabs on one another).

It was true that I no longer smelled like raw meat when I came home from work. I mean, I worked a desk job atBellissima, so I need say no more. But I found that taking a shower when I came from a long day at work—meat smell or not—would stick with me regardless of the job.

Before I could get any further, though, I found Rina sitting on the edge of the small, orange, thrifted couch we picked when we moved in, suitcases beside her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it. She looked around and then back at me again. What was she having trouble spitting out? It wasn’t brain surgery to realize that she was leaving, but to go where and why?

“What’s going on?” I asked, fully comprehending what people meant when they said they wished they could pull the words out of someone.

This was almost as bad as sitting in a hospital waiting room, anticipating what the doctor was going to tell you.

Except this time I already knew the prognosis and couldn’t make sense of it.

Rina was leaving, but besides that I was filled with questions.

Wringing her hands, she looked at me nervously, the corners of her lips curling up and then down. She swallowed and went to speak again, and I was all ears.

* * *

Rina

I don’t want you to come with me.

I don’t want you to come with me.

The words were fine playing on repeat in my head, but when it came to actually getting them out, I couldn’t seem to. It was like my tongue was tied and I physically couldn’t do it.

It wasn’t like I could have prepared myself, either. How could I have? It turned out, it wasn’t easy telling the one person who had stood by you from the very beginning when your life was a shit show,hey, I’m leaving, and I don’t want you to come with me, so please don’t even ask.

I guessed there was really no easy way to say it, so I’d just do it.

* * *

Knox

“Knox,” she started and stood, “I’m sorry, but I’m breaking up with you and I’m leaving.”

Way to state the obvious.

Shaking my head, I tried to read between the lines, but I couldn’t even find the lines. She hadn’t really said anything, just stated the obvious. “Wh—”

Bringing her fingers to my lips, she held them there and searched my eyes. “I need to leave. I have a real chance thanks to Regina. There’s a designer I’ve been talking to.” I knew that.What did that have to do with breaking up with me?“He wants me to go to Barcelona to work with him. I’m going to be his protégé, he says. Do you know what kind of opportunity this is?”Yeah, but still not following on the whole us splitting up thing.She let her finger glide down my lips, then my chin before she let it fall off completely and she stepped back and swept her hair to one side.

“I don’t, because all you told me was that you were talking to a designer. That doesn’t mean shit to me. You never told me to what extent.” If it was harsh, oh well, because it was the truth. I ran a hand over my face, trying to absorb this. Rina was breaking up with me to go to Barcelona.

“It’s new, but I promised myself I’d do whatever I had to do. So there’s really no thinking about it. I’m sorry, I hope you understand.”

Understand?No, I understood that Mondays came around eventually. I understood that I should get a flu vaccine annually. I understood that I had to pay taxes. I understood a lot of things, but this, this was not one of those things.

Silence was all that was left between us.

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