Page 87 of Over Us, Over You

HAYLEY: TODAY

(Present Day)

San Francisco, California

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I OPENED THE DOOR THEsecond I saw the lights from Corey’s Ferrari pulling into my driveway. I double checked my hair and make-up in the mirror, and readjusted the black and pink silk teddy I’d bought just for him.

Waiting for him to get out of the car, I stood behind my curtains. For some reason, he was just sitting in the driver’s seat, staring blankly ahead.

I started to walk out and ask him what was wrong, but he finally opened his door and stepped out.

“Hey,” I said once he strolled onto the walkway. “Do you like it?”

“Do I like what?”

“What I’m wearing.” I smiled, turning around. “Kelly finally came to town today and she made me tag along to a lingerie and sex toy party.” I paused. “She’s at the Four Seasons tonight, though, so don’t worry about her hearing us.”

He didn’t say anything. He stepped under the verandah’s light and sighed, showing a twisted pain on his face I hadn’t seen in the night’s dark.

“Hayley...” His voice was hoarse.

“What the hell happened to your face?” I reached up and touched the right side of his face. The entire side was bruised blue and his eye was black. “Is this why you wanted me to call you earlier? Did you fall somewhere?”

“No.”

“Well, can you come in so I can ice it for you?” I kept my hand against his face. “I can hold off on the stuff I’d planned and just focus on you tonight.”

A slight smile crossed his lips, but he didn’t let it stay. “Hayley, I don’t want to be with you anymore.”

“What?” I was still staring at the bruises. “Did you hit your head that hard today?”

“No.” He gripped my wrist and pushed it away. Hard. “No, I just had a fucking epiphany and I realized we’re not going to work out.”

I shook my head, knowing that this wasn’t true. That he had to be waiting for me to laugh at this.

“Okay.” I let out a fake laugh. “You got me. You don’t want to be with me, but you’re at my house, at night, days after saying that you want us to last for the long-haul this time?”

“I have a right to change my goddamn mind.” His voice was colder than I’d ever heard it. “Do I not?”

“Corey...” My voice cracked. “Are you having a bad day or something? I refuse to believe that this is your comeback after I told you yesterday how much you mean to me.”

“Well, this relationship no longer means shit to me,” he said, his tone still flat. “And I should’ve never allowed you to get close to me again because you and I both know it won’t work out.”

I was numb. I wasn’t sure what to say.

Closing my robe, I stared at him—looking for any sense of remorse in his eyes, but there was nothing.

“I just wanted to tell you that we’re over, in person,” he said. “If you call, I won’t answer, so make sure you return the favor if I call you. The past several weeks have been very fun, but as you know, I don’t tend to last in these type of pointless relationships long, so I’d rather not waste any more of my time.”

“Very fun?” I wanted to slap him. “That’s what we were to you? Was this some type of sick game where you just wanted to make me like you again, so you could get a thrill out of turning fickle as fuck on me?”

He shook his head, but he didn’t say anything.

“I should’ve seen this coming.” I shook my head. “We were very fun?”

“As much as I would love to hear you repeat every word I say in a rhetorical question tonight, I don’t have patience for that right now. We’re done. Over. Fucking through. Got it?”

“I got it.” I stepped back and unclasped the charm bracelet he’d given to me, tossing it at him. “Yes, I finally fucking got it, Corey.”

He walked away without another word, and I cursed my wiser heart for letting me feel the exact same pain he’d given my naïve, younger heart before.

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