Page 81 of Choosing Forever
26
TEN YEARS AGO
DELANEY
Where is he?I’ve been here for two hours. Alone and waiting for him to come back from wherever it is that he took off to when Poppy left.
Considering I’m only here to spend the weekend with Darren, I’m getting more pissed by the second that he’s not here. If it hadn’t been the only way that I could guarantee that I’d get time with him tonight, I’d have changed my flight to leave this morning. But of course, I didn’t want to leave while we were both still upset about earlier. It didn’t occur to him to do the same, I guess.
Whether I’m in my first year of university or the third, my view on the parties is still the same. The only thing I’ve learned in my time at the few I’ve been dragged to is that the beer is warm, the chip bowls are infected with every illness known to man, and the boys are unbearably ignorant. This isn’t my scene in the slightest, yet here I am—again—waiting for the guy who’s not my boyfriend but still feels like it the majority of the time to join me.
I blame Poppy for convincing me that I could do this tonight after the fight that transpired in front of her earlier.
Darren’s only come to visit me in Vancouver a handful of times, but I’ve been here to see him in Calgary at least triple that. My course load is lighter, and considering everyone I know and love is back home in Cherry Peak, it’s made more sense for me to come here than for him to take the trip alone to Vancouver.
Still, with every flight I take, the more I’m starting to wish he’d make the effort to come see me instead.
We’re not supposed to even be doing this at all, though. Not the visiting, at least. It’s what we agreed on the day I drove to Vancouver for the first time.Holiday visits only and a weekly phone call scheduled to keep one another in the loop.
We’ve done everything but that.
The last few months have been the hardest, though. After the party in July, things have been weird between us. He’s texting less and missing my calls. This is the first time I’ve been here since then. I could tell that night that things were going to change; I just hoped it wouldn’t be so drastically.
Today, the issues I’ve had with our current relationship blew up into a screaming match, and I embarrassed the both of us in front of someone who shouldn’t have been around to see it. His sister drove back to Cherry Peak shortly after.
“It’s not too late to just put a pause on this stupid break and stop pretending that it’s doing anything but making me miss you so badly I can barely breathe when I’m away! I thought this was what I wanted, but it’s not.”
“You say that now, but it’s not how you felt before. I can’t take back the last two years we’ve put into this! We’ve already gone on with this for too long. I won’t be the one responsible for ruining the plans you laid out years ago.”
“Every time I’m here, I feel like I recognize you less. You’re ignoring me, Darren. You’ve never done that before. Did I really ruin everything between us because of one night of honesty? If you didn’twant to keep me in your life, you should have just said that instead of placating me. This isn’t what I wanted!”
He swallows, throat straining. “I told you things were getting too complicated. I fucking knew we were going to get like this.”
Nausea swirls in my belly at the reminders of our last conversation. It’s obvious that I shouldn’t be here tonight. Not at this party and not in this city. My money is on Darren knowing that just as well. That would explain his absence.
“He’s not here, babe.”
The pop can in my hand is heavier than normal when I pull it into my chest and glance up at the guy looming over me. Darren’s roommate, Blue, as everyone calls him, drops a hand to the back of their velvet couch and twirls a piece of my hair around his finger.
I sweep my hair over my shoulder and out of his grip. “I can see that.”
“He’s been gone a while now.”
“I’m aware.”
“Have you tried calling him?” he asks, the words slurred on his sour breath. “He’s always here when you show your pretty face. That reminds me! He hasn’t threatened to punch me yet tonight for looking at you too long. Odd.”
“Wow, I never thought to try calling him. That’s a brilliant idea.”
“I sense a bit of sarcasm, Delania. Are you being sarcastic?”
I let the incorrect name go. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last. I’m pretty sure he’s just incapable of using the right one at this point.
“You’re drunk, Blue. Darren keeps water bottles under his bed— What are you doing?”
With a squeak, I push my body as far back into the couch as possible before Blue falls into my lap. Instead of my thighs, he falls face first into the seat beside me. I crinkle my nose, feeling almost queasy at the thought of what’s touching his face.
“I’m tired,” he grumbles into the scorched red velvet. His feetkick out, narrowly missing my can before dropping into my lap. “Wanna cuddle me to sleep?”
