15-05-2021-052358It-Ends-with-Us

date?”
He’s asking it like it’s a casual question, but I know it isn’t. When I
fail to respond, he leans in until he’s whispering in my ear. He repeats
himself, but this time it isn’t a question. “You brought a date.”
I find the courage to look over at him and instantly wish I hadn’t.
He’s in a black suit that makes the scrubs look like child’s play. First I
swallow the unexpected lump in my throat and then I say, “Is it a
problem that I brought a date?” I look away from him and back at the
photograph hanging on the wall. “I was trying to make things easier
on you. You know. Just trying to make it stop.”
He smirks and then downs the rest of his wine. “How thoughtful of
you, Lily.” He tosses his empty wineglass toward a trash can in the
corner of the room. He makes the shot, but the glass shatters when it
hits the bottom of the empty container. I glance around me, but no
one saw what just happened. When I look back at Ryle, he’s halfway
down a hallway. He disappears into a room and I stand here, looking
at the picture again.
That’s when I see it.
The picture is blurred, so it was hard to make out at first. But I can
recognize that hair from anywhere. That’s my hair. It’s hard to miss,
along with the marine-grade polymer lounge chair I’m lying on. This
is the picture he took on the rooftop the first night we met. He must have had
it blown up and distorted so no one would notice what it was. I bring
my hand to my neck, because my blood feels like it’s bubbling. It’s
really warm in here.
Allysa appears at my side. “It’s weird, huh?” she says, looking at the
picture.
I scratch at my chest. “It’s really hot in here,” I say. “Don’t you
think?”
She glances around the room. “Is it? I hadn’t noticed, but I’m a
little drunk. I’ll tell Marshall to turn on the air.”
She disappears again, and the more I stare at the picture, the
angrier I get. The man has a picture of me hanging in the apartment.
He bought me flowers. He’s giving me attitude because I brought a
date to his sister’s party. He’s acting like there’s actually something
between us, and we’ve never even kissed!