Page 40 of Rewriting the Story

Henry: Sorry about that. I won’t call you that if you want.

Amelia: No, it’s okay.

Henry: Are you sure?

Amelia: Yeah.

Henry: Good luck on your paper.

Amelia: Thank you. Good luck with whatever you’re workingon.

14

Now

“It was at that moment when I realized I didn't know the person I slept next to every night. And she didn't know me either. The two of us were ghosts, and gone was the person I married all those years ago. My wife was simply a person I no longer knew, and I had to be okay with that because she didn't really know me either.”— Our Best Kept Secret,Henry Hayes

“Didthegirlsnotknow I was coming?” I ask the boys as I get back to the room.

“What?” Grant asks, an odd look on hisface.

“I ran into Ella in the lobby, and she looked like she had seen a ghost when she realized it was me. Did you tell them I was coming?”

“Paige knows,” Oliver tells me. “It’s our wedding, so of course she was aware of your invitation. I guess I assumed she would tell the girls.”

“If Ella doesn't know, then she must have kept that detail to herself,” Leo says.

“Oh, fuck,” is all Oliver says before he looks at Grant. “Are you and my wife up to something?”

Grant’s hand goes straight to his chest, a gasp coming from his mouth. “How dare you accuse me of something I have nothing to do with.” Well, that wasn't suspicious at all. “And she’s not your wife yet.”

“Semantics,” Oliver says as he comes over to me. “It’s going to be fine. Paige was okay with this, so I can only assume one of two things.”

“And what is that?” I ask him, but Leo is the one who answers.

“Either Paige and Grant are up to something, or Oliver’s almost wife thought you two would avoid each other at all costs, so it wouldn't be a problem.”

“Bingo,” Oliver says with a snap of his fingers. “My money is on Grant and Paige meddling because they are physically incapable of not trying to push two people together.”

“Hey!” Grant says as he comes closer to us. “I just want all my friends to be happy and in love like I am. Is that so bad?”

“Well, it can be if you’re meddling in people’s lives who don’t want to be meddled with,” Oliver tells him before he looks back at me. “How are you feeling?”

“Nervous, I guess,” I say as I run a hand through my hair. “I don’t know how I’m going to react when I see her. It’s been so fucking long…” I knew she would be here, but nothing can prepare me for actually seeing her.

Amelia has been the longest chapter of my life. Where my brain concerns her, all I can do is write and write. The book of Amelia hasnever ended, because I never got any sense of closure. I never knew why she chose to rip us apart. She put a period down on a sentence where I thought a comma should have gone.

I haven't been in love since she broke my heart. Part of me secretly wished she would come back, explain why she did it, and maybe we could fix it. I swear, every time my phone buzzed, I secretly hoped it was her, but it never was.

She was the first girl I ever loved. She wasn't simply myfirstlove, but my firstlove. I never felt what I did for Amelia for anyone else before, and for some reason, my heart chose the wrong person to give itself over to so completely.

I was also stupid enough to believe every word she whispered to me like it was only meant for me, every secret look we shared that somehow only made sense to us. I truly believed she loved me as much as I loved her.

But she was a con artist, and I was the guy stupid enough to believe her.

“Why don't we watch something before dinner? I can cue up something funny,” Grant offers, but I feel my head shake before any words come out.

“I have some work to do, so I’ll probably just head to my room.”

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