Page 30 of If He Hadn't Cheated
“Good different or bad different?”
“Real different.”
I pause, then pour us both a water.
He takes his and sips slowly. “How was your day?” he asks.
I chuckle. “What is this, are you asking me out on a date?”
“No. This is me asking how your day was.”
I rest my elbows on the counter trying to smooth off the sting of rejection. “It was quiet. No meltdowns. No cravings. Just... normal.”
Knox nods. “That’s good.”
“It’s boring.”
“Maybe boring is what you need.”
“Maybe.”
We fall into silence, and I realize something. I’m not afraid of the quiet anymore. Not with him here.
After a while, he says, “I got a job offer.”
That catches me off guard. “Doing what?”
“Consulting. Just a few months.”
I stare at him. And something sharp lodges itself in my chest. “Oh.”
“I haven’t said yes.”
“But you’re thinking about it.”
He nods.
I look away. “I don’t want to be another thing holding you back.”
“You’re not.”
“Then why are you here?”
He’s quiet for a long time. Then he says, “You’re the reason I’m offering it to you.”
The words land heavy. I blink fast. “Why?” I whisper.
He leans forward slightly. “Do you want it? If you do, then say it.”
I grip the edge of the bar. “I don’t know what you want from me?”
He nods slowly. And that’s it. He doesn’t promise anything.
Doesn’t say why he’s really here. What his motive is. But something between us shifts between us.
13
There are mornings when I forget the worst of it. Just for a second.
