Page 25 of Addicted to You
Once I had unpacked, I got to work setting up aromantic surprise for Britt. I’d picked up food from her favorite Chinese restaurant, candles, flowers, and a bottle of wine that I placed in the fridge to chill. It wasn’t much, but I hoped it would show Britt how glad I was to be home. Spending every night apart for six weeks had taken its toll, and I was looking forward to being under the same roof again.
Thirty minutes later, the table was set and soft music played in the background. Britt was apparently running late so I called her to see how much longer she’d be.
“Hello?” she answered.
I could hear music and laughter in the background. “Hey. Are you on your way home?”
There was a pause. “Oh shit! I must have gotten my days mixed up because I forgot you were coming home tonight. I’m out with some friends.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. “You forgot?”
“I’m sorry,” she rushed out. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately?—”
“I spent all day planning a special night for us.” While I could sort of understand how she could have forgotten, it didn’t stop me from being hurt.
“Okay. I’ll be there in a bit.”
“You’re not coming home right away?” I asked, and I knew I hadn’t been able to mask the disappointment in my voice.
“We just ordered dinner,” she shot back. “As soon as I’m done, I’ll leave.”
“And what about me?” I snapped. “We’ve barely seen each other in six weeks, and you just went out with your friends a few nights ago.”
“That’s not fair,” she argued. “You know how crazy things have been with my job. You can’t expect me to drop everything when it’s convenient for you.”
I let out a slow breath, trying to rein in my frustration. “I’m not asking you to drop everything, but I assumed seeing me might have ranked a little higher on your priority list now that I’m home.”
Britt let out a sigh. “You’re right. I’ll come home. Just give me some time to say goodbye to everyone and order a ride.”
“Fine,” I muttered.
The call ended, and I sat at the table, staring at the flickering candles. The excitement I’d felt earlier was gone, replaced by annoyance and irritation.
It was nearly an hour later when Britt finally walked through the door. She paused in the entryway, her eyes widening as she took in the candles, the table set for two, and the music still playing quietly.
“Cash,” she said, her voice sounding full of regret. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you’d gone to all this trouble.”
I shrugged, not meeting her gaze. “It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not.” She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around me. “I should’ve remembered and been here.”
I let out a breath, and my arms circled her waist. “I just wanted to spend some time with you. That’s all.”
“Well, I’m here now.” She pulled back to meet my eyes. “Let’s have dinner.”
We sat down, and despite the rocky start to the evening, it felt good to finally connect and get caught up on what we’d both missed over the last few weeks.
But after dinner, she gave me a tired smile when I reached for her hand.
“I’m exhausted,” she yawned. “Do you mind if we just go to bed?”
I shook my head. “Of course not. You’ve had a long week.”
She kissed my cheek and disappeared into the bedroom while I cleared the table and cleaned up the kitchen.
By the time I crawled into bed beside her, she was already fast asleep. I stared up at the ceiling, unable to shake the feeling something was off between us. She was tired. That’s all it was. She’d been working long hours, and she just needed to rest. Or maybe there was more to her forgetting I was coming home.
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