Page 14 of Ashes of Us
Jenna's eyes searched mine, waiting. Her lips were parted slightly, and I could smell her perfume, feel her breath. All I had to do was lean in.
My hands came up to her waist.
Then I saw it over her shoulder: Piper's coffee mug in the sink, that faint lipstick mark on the rim. It was the one with the chipped handle that she refused to throw away because I'd given it to her on our first anniversary.
I stepped back.
"I can't," I said, my voice rough. "I'm sorry, but I can't do this."
Jenna's hand dropped. "You can't or you won't?"
"Both. Neither. I don't know." I ran my hands through my hair. "I need to fix things with Piper. The wedding's in five weeks. Everyone's expecting?—"
"You're worried about the wedding?" She laughed, sharp and bitter. "Jesus, Liam. She caught us together. She's not going to marry you."
"You don't know that."
"I do know that. Any woman with self-respect would—" She stopped herself, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I just thought… I thought we meant something. I thought this meant something."
"It did. It does. I just…” What could I possibly say? That she'd been a mistake? That I’d been bored, selfish, looking for something to make me feel alive for all the wrong reasons? "I need time to figure this out."
She stared at me for a long moment, her jaw tight.
"Fine," she said. "Keep pretending she’s coming back. Some of us live in reality.”
She walked past me, and I didn't stop her. Didn't say anything as she let herself out, the door clicking shut behind her with a finality that made my chest ache.
I stood there in the kitchen, surrounded by Piper's things and the smell of someone else's perfume, and tried to figure out what the hell I was supposed to do now.
I needed to talk to Piper. Face to face. If I could just explain, if I could just make her understand that it didn't mean anything, that she was the one I loved, that we could fix this…
But where was she?
She wasn’t answering her phone. She'd blocked my number, wouldn't see my texts or calls even if she wanted to.
Could she be at her parents? No, she wouldn't go there. Her mom would lose her mind about the wedding, bombard her with a thousand questions, and Piper wouldn't subject herself to that. Not right now.
A friend's place? Maybe. But most of her close friends were mutual friends, people from the station or people we'd met together. She wouldn't want to put them in the middle.
Which left one option.
Maya.
CHAPTER 7: PIPER
"Okay, so according to Reddit, you're legally allowed to keep the engagement ring in most states," Maya said, scrolling through her phone with one hand while shoving lo mein leftovers into her mouth with the other. "But morally, some people think you should give it back if he paid for it."
"He can have the ring," I said, picking at my own container of fried rice. "I don't want it."
“Okay, so… Maybe we pawn it? Use the money for a 'congratulations on dodging a bullet' vacation." She kept scrolling. "Oh, here's a good one: 'I canceled my wedding two weeks before and my vendor contract said no refunds, but I threatened to leave a bad Yelp review and they gave me half back.'"
"I'm not threatening anyone with Yelp reviews."
"Why not? Capitalism is a hellscape, babe. Use every weapon in your arsenal." She set down her phone and looked at me. "How are you doing? Like, actually?"
I pushed a piece of broccoli around my container. "I don't know. Numb? Angry? Sad? All of it at once?"
"That's valid."
