Page 136 of The Rebound
“You don’t know what I want,” I choke out. “How can you when you clearly don’t know me.”
“Abby—”
“I have to go,” I say, climbing awkwardly up the riverbank. My foot slips in the mud but I manage to right myself as I move as far away from him as possible.
He doesn’t follow.
And for some reason, that’s what hurts me the most.
29
“How’s your moping?” Tomasz lingers in the doorway of my bedroom the next day, eating an apple. “Going well? It looks like you’re really getting the hang of it.”
“Shouldn’t you be grocery shopping?” I mutter, scrolling through my phone. “It’s on the chore wheel.”
“I’m going now. Do you want me to drop you to the village?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? Louise said if you don’t leave the house, she’s going to tell your parents about Tyler coming.”
I roll over to look at him fully. “She wouldn’t.”
Tomasz only shrugs.
She would.
I push myself off the bed. I’ve been in a mood ever since Tyler showed up. I couldn’t even bring myself to go to lunch with Pat and Susan, though, from what Louise said, Luke didn’t show up either. He hasn’t messaged me. I mean, I haven’t messaged him either but, the way things ended yesterday, the ball is firmly in his court.
Tyler messaged twice. He got my Irish number from Louise (there was some yelling about that) and he gave me his hotel details and a plea to talk to him, privately. I don’t plan on replying. My plan instead is to lie low for a few days until he leaves and hope everything magically sorts itself out.
But hoping this will be an excuse to see Luke, I grab a ride with Tomasz into the village, and head to the café, where Ollie is getting ready to leave for the day. She sees me standing outside dawdling, but instead of just ignoring me like she usually does, she gestures halfheartedly toward the door, which for her is the equivalent to waving me inside with open arms.
“I’m just on my way out,” she tells me when I enter. “Beth’s sorting the recycling out back. Luke’s not here. Heard your ex came to visit.”
I pause. “He did.”
“Awkward.”
“Tell me about it.”
She almost looks impressed. “So you’ve got two people after you now?”
“I wouldn’t put it like that,” I say but she’s already grinning at me.
“That’s cool,” she says, grabbing her bag. “Hey, you should know that I’m leaving soon. I got into a creative writing program at UCD.”
“You’re a writer?” I ask, surprised.
“Didn’t I tell you?”
“I think this is the first time you’ve actually spoken to me.”
“Huh.” She frowns. “Well. Beth will be in in a minute.”
“Okay. Hey, Ollie?” I hesitate as she turns at the door. “You write… poems?”
“Novels.”
