Page 122 of Meant to Be

“Don’t be sorry,” she said. “Just stop all of this.”

“All of what?”

“The clamoring and nagging…I just need a little space.”

“From me?”

“From everything!” she said, her voice rising, as I caught a woman staring at us. Her face lit up as she pointed us out to her friend.

“Shhh,” I said, looking down at the ground. “People are looking—”

“Don’t shush me! And ofcoursethey’re looking! You came to the park when I told you not to!”

“I came to the park because you refused to see me,” I said, my worry morphing into frustration with a tinge of anger.

“Exactly. I refused to see you because I didn’t want to see you. Get how that works?” she said, her voice icy.

“Jeez,” I said. “Why are you being such a jerk?”

“I’m not being a jerk, Joe! I told you I wanted to go for a run alone, and you showed up anyway! That’s selfish as hell. It’s not always about you!” she yelled, getting to her feet and glaring down at me.

“Dammit, Cate,” I said, standing and facing her. “I know it’s not about me. I’m trying to—”

“What?” she yelled. “What, exactly, are you trying to do?”

“I’m trying to talk to you. I’m worried about you,” I said.

“Well, don’t be! I’m fine! I was fine before you. I’m fine now. And I’ll be fine—” She stopped abruptly, and so did my heart.

“Finish your sentence,” I said.

She shook her head.

“Come on, Cate. Go ahead and tell me. What were you going to say?”

“Nothing,” she said, clearly lying. Then she shook her head and turned to go.

I grabbed her arm and said, “That you’ll be fineafterme? Is that what you were going to say?”

She pulled away and said, “No. I was just going to say that I’llalwaysbe fine.”

“No, you weren’t,” I said. “That’s not what you were going to say.”

She bit her lip, shook her head, then said, “Okay, Joe. You want to push this?”

“Yes,” I said. “I do.”

“Fine,” she said, her eyes flashing with anger.

I waited a few seconds, then watched with shock as she took off her ring and shoved it into my chest. “I can’t do this.”

“What?” I said, backing up, horrified.

“Take the ring, Joe,” she said, giving me a steely gaze.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Don’t do this—”

“Take it, Joe.Now.”

I kept shaking my head, then began to beg.Please don’t do this. Please.

But she clearly wasn’t listening. Instead, she dropped the ring on the ground, then turned and walked away.

---