Page 51 of Twist of Fate
My stomach flutters as I wait with bated breath for him to walk into the room and take a seat…on the other side of the room.
The fuck?
I look down at our table. There is one seat left at the end, and while logically, I know it’s a ways away, it’s still closer than where he’s at now.
He can’t sit with you all the time, I remind myself.
It does little to improve my mood.
Unfortunately, when my phone buzzes in my lap, whatever was left of my decent mood takes a nosedive. Reaching for it, I turn the screen around, and my heart starts to pound as soon as I see the caller ID.
“Aisling?”
I look up at my mom, eyes wide. “I’m going to take this,” I tell her.
“Don’t,” she begs, but I’m already out of my chair, headed for the door. Even after all this time, I can’t seem to be able to let him go.
I press answer the second I step out of the dining room.
“Hello?”
“Aisling?” His voice twists my stomach. It’s both comforting and painfully sharp. I want to envelop myself in the sound like a warm blanket, yet I can’t forget all the hurt he’s caused.
So fucking confusing.
“Theo,” I manage to say. “How are you?”
“How am I?” He lets out a haunted laugh. “Why would you even ask me that, Ash? This week especially?”
I steel my spine and let out a frustrated huff. He’s been doing this for months—acting like he’s the victim, as if I were the one who caused him pain. All this time, he has played himself off as the wounded party because I was the one who walked away.
“How could you do this, Theo? How could you do this to me?” I’ve been crying for what feels like ages. Sobbing so violently that my ribs ache and my throat is raw.
“You don’t understand what it’s like.” His voice carries a mixture of anger and pain. He flew home to surprise me, and what a surprise it has been. “What it feels like to be thrown into the spotlight like that.”
“I don’t know what it’s like?” I let out a haunted laugh as I look at the man I’ve loved since I was sixteen. I used to think he was perfect—flawless. Perfect body, amazing athlete, the best boyfriend. Now, I know there’s no such thing as perfection. “Are you being serious right now?”
He runs a frustrated hand through his hair, and I silently wonder just how honest he is being with me. “Maybe we just need some time, you know?”
“Time?”
“Yeah, maybe we rushed into things. Maybe we should postpone the wedding for a while until you’re moved in and settled, and then we can, you know—reevaluate.”
I just stare at him. Blink. Blink again. “I’m not still moving with you, Theo.”
“What, no. Yes, you are. You’re my fiancée.”
“No.” I shake my head, wiping the tears from my eyes. “Not anymore.”
* * *
Utter fucking bullshit.
“I know what week it is, T.”
“Is that why you’re in Ireland?”
I’m pacing now, trying my best to wear a path into the sapphire blue and gold carpet that runs between the restaurant and the lobby. “How do you know where I am?” It sounds a bit more accusatory than I intend it to.
