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“It’s not like you to ignore me for so long. I was beginning to get worried.” The rehearsed concern in his voice makes my skin crawl. Or maybe it wasn’t rehearsed—maybe he is starting to get concerned that I’m finally moving on from him.
“I’m better than ever. Thanks for your concern.” Trying to cut this conversation short, I purposely don’t ask how he’s doing.
Thankfully, Ellie quickly comes to my rescue. “Keep moving, Parasite, it’s girls night!”
Before I can say much, he pulls his arm away and lifts his hands to show he means no trouble. He turns back to me and winks, “I’ll be around—we’ll talk later.” I ignore it.
Our steady drink rotation of cocktail, water, cocktail, and water continues with a variety of appetizers Shawn makes for us throughout the night. It’s a little after 12:30 a.m. when my phone buzzes on the bar top.
Henry
How are the festivities going?
Lucy
It’s nearly 6 a.m. for you. Why are you awake?
Henry
Couldn’t sleep.
It may be the drinks, or it may be that I am excited to hear from him and selfishly want to keep him up if it means I get to talk to him a little more. Moving Ellie’s drink next to mine, I angle my phone just right and take the photo, then hit send.
“Who are you sending that to?” Her eyes squint with the question.
“Henry. He just texted—he can’t sleep and asked how our night is going.” She rolls her eyes but maintains a sly smile on her face.
“Well, let’s entertain Henry a little more.” She takes my phone from me, and my heart stops. What if she texts him?
She opens the camera app and flips it before pulling me close and taking a selfie of us. I reach for the phone, but she pulls away and announces, “Attaching photo and texting ‘You’re welcome. Ellie’”
Once I wrangle the phone back from her, she winks, “And you’re welcome too.”
Getting a better look at the photo, we both look great in it. I don’t hate the idea of sending it to him. “Thank you,” I mutter quietly under my breath.
Henry
Thank you, Ellie.
Looks like an entertaining evening for you both.
As I am smiling at my phone, deciding what to text next, when that frustratingly familiar voice comes behind me again. “So that’s really happening?”
Yes, John. This is what’s happening. I’m no longer the lovesick girl who you’ve kept at arm’s length since breaking my heart all those years ago. I’m finally showing interest in another man. That’s what’s happening.
With more liquid courage than I usually have and after noticing he was waiting until Ellie left her guard position next to me to sneak up behind me, I lose my restraint with him, “Excuse me, but it’s none of your business who I’m texting, John! Should I ask you to look at your phone? I wonder how many women you have texted tonight?”
I’ve never mentioned the other girls to him before, never caring enough to bring it up. I’ve encouraged him to date again for years, but he’s always shrugged it off. I’m not dumb—just because I haven’t witnessed him with anyone else, there’s plenty of rumors about him with other women.
He just smiles at me. I know better than to give him a grand reaction—he loves it when I do that. He always interprets my “passion,” as he calls it, for the connection between us. “You know you are the only one I love.” Deny, deny, deny is the method he’s going to stick with. That’s fine, but I don’t need to listen to it.
I get up from my seat and grab my cocktail and Ellie’s—we can get water refills later. Luckily, there are twoempty seats at the table with Luna and Marissa. I don’t want it to appear as if I need protection from my friends—I can stand up to him. I just did. It’s his persistence that I don’t have the patience for any longer. Shawn will let Ellie know where I went.
Once safe in my new location, I reopen the texts from Henry and look back over the conversation I was enjoying before that annoying interruption.
Starting to feel the effects of the cocktails, I decide to call it a night after I finish my current drink and move strictly to water. I also decide this is a safe time to cut off my texts with Henry. I don’t need to keep drinking and then send him drunk texts that I can’t take back.
Lucy
