Page 164 of Sincerely, Your Enemy

I begin to cry. To sob. To lose it.

And the worst part? I haven’t even read the letter yet.

I’m already a mess. I’m afraid whatever he put in that letter will end me. It doesn’t stop me from setting the mug down, ripping the envelope open, and getting the letter out.

Hey, Rich girl,

I just want to start by saying that this mug was a bitch to fix.

The guys doing romantic gestures in movies make it seem like it’s no biggie, but I promise you these assholes aren’t having any fun standing in the rain with that fucking boom box. Sorry, I’m getting off topic.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, these guys are full of shit, and I am, too.

You see, I fixed that mug a while ago. Back when I was supposed to hate your guts and destroy your life. And yet, I spent eight fucking hours supergluing tiny pieces of ceramic back together, all the while trying to convince myself that I didn’t like you.

Talk about a clueless idiot.

The day you dropped that mug is the day I realized you weren’t the villain I’d imagined you to be. It was the first time I ever saw you cry.

You looked at me, with those big green eyes, and I knew right then that I would gladly rip out a piece of my broken heart so that I could fix yours.

That’s all it took for you to stop being the girl my dad chose over me. Because in that moment, you were just like me.

An angry, broken kid who’d lost her father too soon.

I thought we were meant to be enemies. Fated to hate each other. I thought you were my curse, but truly, you were a blessing I wasn’t mature enough to receive.

I’m sorry I blamed you for my pain, when the only thing you ever did was make me happy.

I love you, Lacey.

You were never my enemy.

I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it.

Sincerely,

TJ

Tears sting my eyes,my body howling with sobs as I place the letter down on the table in front of me.

Conflicting thoughts and emotions battle themselves in my head, my doubts dwindling into oblivion as I stare at the repaired mug.

The words Aveena said to me earlier come back to me.

“A painful past is what brought him to you, but if you take a chance, you could gain an incredible future.”

I love him.

I want him back.

“Are you okay?” My sister’s voice shocks me back to reality, reminding me that the kitchen might not be the most appropriate place to have an emotional breakdown.

I whisk my head to the door and see her standing there, a worried expression stamped across her face.

I dab at my cheeks with my hand, clearing my throat. “Sierra, hey. I’m fine, don’t worry.”

I expect her to take my word for it and retreat to her bedroom, but she doesn’t move a muscle.

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