Page 45 of Return To You

Igather my things and follow Tracy and Ethan from afar, planning on dashing to my car to avoid any awkward goodbyes. The plan of having coffee with Ethan went out the door real fast tonight. Because the truth is, there’s no way talking things through with Ethan will help put anything behind me.

The only way forward for me is to leave him where he belongs: in the past. Not to pretend he wasn’t anything to me, or that we could be friends.

Lying to myself is never a good idea.

A car door slams, and then another.

And then voices, carried through the still summer night.

“Ethan! Ohmygod, Ethan!” This comes from a sultry female voice.

“Annie?” Ethan’s deep voice answers.

“It’s me, Amy!” Laughter this time, light and playful, coming from her.

Amy Keller. My blood runs cold. Amy Keller was Ethan’s girlfriend at some point, and to say that I hated her at the time is an understatement. My physical reaction to her now underlines truth number one that I’m finally accepting. Ethan meant something to me, and that part of my past still affects me.

All the more reason to stay away from it.

“Hey!” Ethan’s deep voice echoes. Silence, then lower, “It’s good to see you.”

I stop in my tracks. I can’t walk in on them. I hold my breath.

“Same here, big boy.” Under the merciless moonlight, I see her shapely arms wrap around Ethan in a full-body hug. He lets go of her, but she keeps one hand on his shoulder, the other on his chest, her head tilted back to take him all in.

My heart is thumping so hard, I can’t hear myself think. They talk but I don’t know what they’re saying. Her melodious voice mixes with his raspy bass. I don’t want to know what they’re saying.

Oh god, please get me out of here.

I take a deep breath and announce my presence by stomping to the parking area, pretending I’m seeing them just now.

“Good night,” I say as I pass them.

“Grace, hold on a sec!” Ethan says.

I have no choice but to stop and look at him. At them. “Hey, Amy.”

He steps back, away from her, and she looks between us, mouth slightly agape.

“Of course you’re together now. How cute.”

“Oh no, we’re not together,” I say as it’s the most outlandish idea ever. Why would she think that?

“Really?” she frowns, but still backs away from Ethan, plunging her hands in the pockets of her tight jeans. “Well, I’m back for good now. Can you believe it? We should catch up.” Her eyes are on Ethan the whole time.

Amy Keller and Ethan King catching up is not something I need to witness. Even if I know there’s nothing between them, and probably was very little any way back in the day, jealousy is rearing its ugly head and I need to smack it away right now. “’Night,” I say with a small wave.

“Grace, hold up. I need to give you something.” Ethan’s commanding voice stops me, and I can’t help but look, look at their bodies so close, at the way she claims him with her eyes, with a hand back on his arm.

Ethan steps away from her, his gaze drilling into me.

Amy squeezes Ethan’s arm. “I’ll be at the Growler tonight.”

He looks down at her hand on his arm like he can’t wait to flick it away. “Okay.”

“See you there?”

“Probably not.”

---