Page 137 of Always You

Ifelt it lurking in the shadows for months now. Ever since Hunter and Laurie announced to be madly in love on national television, I knew it was inevitable. But still, it totally caught me off guard.

“Hey, Hunt.” I answer the phone, unaware of the trainwreck that’s waiting to happen.

“Hey, Charls.” His tone is flat. But I know this boy and I easily detect the hint of sadness in his voice, causing my heart to falter, and my feet actually stop in the middle of the pavement while I’m making my way to the grocery store.

The sun has my eyes squinting while my lashes flutter against the early fall wind.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

He chuckles, though not wholeheartedly, but enough to put me slightly at ease as I wait for him to disclose whatever is on his mind.

“I’m okay. In fact, I’m great.”You don’t sound great.

“You finally found an ice cream parlor that has clementine vanilla?” I joke.

“No.” The brief silence that follows clouds my heart, the hurt burning like wildfire before he says the words outloud. “I’m engaged.”

There it is. I knew I couldn’t outrun it, but I hoped it would fly over, leaving me unscathed.

You know how in those movies, you see how everything around them seems to stop when the heroine gets news that turns her world upside down? I always thought that was just something they created for dramatic effect, to really make you feel connected to their emotions, that in real life, that doesn’t happen.

Yeah, turns out, it does.

My head turns foggy as my vision blurs, and my heart starts to race like a thoroughbred. Parting my lips in shock, my mouth gets as dry as sandpaper while the world around me rushes by as if I’m just a bystander.

I’m so stupid. What did I expect? What did I hope? That one day he’d move back home? That his life in LA was just something temporary? That Laurie was just someone to pass the time until he came to his senses?

“Charls? You still there?”

Snapping myself out of it, I shake my head, trying to push out words in response.

“Engaged?” I repeat as steadily as possible.

“Yeah, I just asked her.” It’s just now that I register the muffled sounds in the background, like he’s in some kind of restaurant. “She said yes.”

His words start to sink in, and my face falls, my heart feeling heavier by the minute.

“Wow, Hunt. T-This is... great,” I croak out. “Unexpected, but great. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. I just wanted to tell you before she throws it all over Instagram, you know?”

“Right. Thanks. That’s great, Hunt.” I try to sound happy, but I know my words sound confused as fuck. “You’re getting married.”

“Yeah, can you believe it?”

“No. No, I really can’t,” I reply in all honesty.

For as long as I’ve known him, he doesn’t make a commitment, can’t sayI love you, and doesn’t believe love is for him. But in the last six months, he’s shown that clearly isn’t the case anymore.That she changed him.I want to be happy for him. But my heart is weeping.

“Me neither. I never thought I’d get married, but we’ve been dating for a while now. I know she’s been waiting for it. At least now I won’t be harassed by people asking me when I’m gonna pop the question.” An awkward chuckle is audible through the phone, followed by a long sigh. “She doesn’t want me calling you as much anymore, though,” he admits, making my eyes widen, feeling like they are about to roll out of my head. “I told her we slept together. She’s not comfortable with our friendship.”

“Right. Yeah, that makes sense.” My mind feels like it’s about to explode, while I keep the phone tightly pressed against my ear, making it hurt a little. “So, no more Friday night calls?”

I admire the fact I can still push out words while it becomes harder to breathe with every second.I’m losing him.

“Just until she’s more comfortable with you. I’m sure she will be, eventually.” His voice is confident, almost determined. But let’s be honest? It’s the equivalent of seeing someone from your past in the coffee shop and saying you’ll meet up soon.It’s never gonna happen.

“Okay. That’s okay. Yeah. Makes sense. I gotta go now,” I blurt, feeling the desperate need to get myself out of this situation as soon as possible. “But I’m happy for you,” I add.

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