AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Losing you, back then, was one hell of a wake-up call. I was angry for a while and I lashed out at you. I started those rumors about you carrying diseases and everything because I wanted to hurt you, but one day I realized it was me that was the loser. You were gone and I had nothing.”
My heart skips a beat and the paper cup in my hand indents slightly.
“I got myself into therapy. I’m still there now, and through that I’ve learned that a lot of what I did back then was all on me. I treated you horribly and then blamed you for it. I was a colossal asshole and I am so, deeply sorry. I don’t expect forgiveness or even understanding, but please know that I regret how I acted. I was a completely different person and I’m ashamed, looking back.” He sighs deeply and his nervous smile flickers. “That’s also why I was so scared to reach out to you.”
“Did you think I would be cruel?” I ask, finally finding my voice.
“No, not at all. I mean, if you were then it would absolutely be justified. I’ve just been scared of confronting who I was back then.”
“And you’re…doing good now?” I wave one hand toward his crisp suit. “New job?”
“Absolutely. I have a steady job and haven’t drank or taken any drugs in three years. And I’m dating an amazing woman. I can’t make up for what I did to you, but I can make sure I don’t make the same mistakes,” Gary says. “I have healthy outlets now.”
Holy shit. He’s really turned his life around. My anger toward him still burns in my chest, but I can’t bring myself to voice it. We were both different people back then, and he treated me like garbage, but I can’t deny how hard he’s worked to change himself.
One thing is for sure. I don’t think he’s the one that broke into my car, or my apartment.
Old Gary, for sure. This one? Not so much.
“I’m sorry, I’m rambling. What about you? You look really good. Graduating soon, right?”
I keep the details of my life light and accept his apology for how things ended. I don’t forgive him, but I do appreciate how sincere he is when he says he’s sorry. The longer I spend with him, the more certain I am that he’s not the shadow in my home. His life is better, more fulfilled and I’m nothing but a reminder of his past.
In some ways, we’ve both vastly improved, and I’d be happy for him if I weren’t still carrying so much hurt from the rumors he started. We talk for an hour until work calls him back, and we part ways amicably.
It’s not at all how I expected that meeting to go, and I head back to Finn’s place with even more confusion worming away inside me.
“You’re not going to believe who I just had coffee with,” I say the moment Ana and Meghan answer the call in the group chat.
“Timothée Chalamet,” Ana says.
“What? No,” I groan. “I just had coffee with Gary.”
“What?!” Ana and Meghan exclaim in unison. “Are you crazy?”
“I had to see him, okay? Ever since Meghan mentioned him, I realized how obvious it was that he would want to bring me harm.”
“Asshole,” Meghan mutters.
“So?” Ana presses. “Did he admit it?”
“No, and I don’t think it is him. He’s different. Like movie montage makeover different. He’s got a new life, he’s in therapy, and he apologized so many times that I thought I was dreaming.”
“Maybe terrorizing you is his therapy,” Ana mutters.
“No. He seems good now in a way that pisses me off only a little bit.” Rolling my eyes, I cross the street. “It just puts me right back at square one. I have no idea who is doing this, and I’m so nervous that I’m sick all the time. I thought that would stop after exams but shit, it’s worse than ever.”
“Well, if you think about it, you’re still under a lot of stress,” Meghan says softly. “This stuff that’s been happening, the stress of your parents, and even waiting for exam results. I’ve been a bit icky too.”
“Or it’s none of that,” Ana says matter-of-factly. “And it’s something else.”
“Something else?” I hurry across the next crossing. “Like what?”
“A baby, Emma. Come on, I told you to take a test weeks ago. We all know how much havoc stress can play with the pill.”
Honestly, Ana’s advice had slipped my mind with everything else going on, but now that she’d mentioned it again, my mind was running. There’s no way, right? I take the pill religiously and while things have been stressful, there’s no way it’ll be that bad.
Right?
