Page 61 of You Were Invited
She always thought that perhaps her own past would stick to her, that it was just a thing attached to her forever. But maybe all that hurt wasn’t so neatly tucked away like an anecdote in a history book. Maybe true healing was unattainable, forever changing and shifting like flowing water. She wanted more than to just heal the scar; she wanted it gone. Andthatshe knew was asking for the impossible.
Was it safe to let him pour over her, all over her heart? Could she invite him in?
I can’t trust him after he hid his past from me, knowing I wouldn’t want to hear it… it’s never going to be the same,she thought.And I already turned him down. And I live too far away.
“I can’t risk it. Not now,” Annie whispered. She was unashamed of her decision, but oh, her bereft heart.
Molly’s shoulders fell. “I’m so sorry, Annie…” She leaned forward and hugged her friend.
The tears started once more.
The next afternoon, Annie spent the day in Molly’s bed working on editing the mess she’d sent Mr. Princely while Molly binged season four ofLittle House on the Prairie.Around five, Annie grabbed her keys and headed over to Christopher’s.
“Peter will meet you there at five-thirty. He’s almost off work,” Molly said. “He’s looking for boxes for you.”
She was grateful for Peter’s willingness to help. She sat out in front of her not-home for a few minutes, waiting for her friend. When he didn’t show up and it was already a quarter to six, Annie let herself into the house, assuming work had held Peter up.
The realtor had hyped it up, but the house they’d chosen to rent had been homey once. When Annie unlocked the door, it was dark and stuffy. The air was sweetly musky, and she caught a strong whiff of alcohol. Every blind in the house was closed. She flipped on the lights in the living room. Her swollen, tired eyes immediately saw the vase of fresh pink roses sitting on the kitchen counter. A bag of candy-coated chocolate candies stood next to it.
Her heart sank.
There was a card attached to a pink satin ribbon. She forced herself to read it.
Chris had written, “I’m sorry.”
“Too little, too late,” she said under her breath as she eyed the candies. Through the little clear window, she realized thathe’d had the candies customized with their faces. Cringing and curling her lip, she left the gifts where she found them.
She snooped through the house for signs of what Chris had been up to since she’d left. He’d emptied the trash. The refrigerator was empty save for a six-pack of beer, a half-empty bottle of hard vodka, eggs, and condiments.He hasn’t been to the grocery store even once since I left.Disappointed, she went to the bedroom and started gathering her toiletries from the bathroom. She lay them out on the disheveled bed.
Peter texted her when he arrived and she let him in. Twenty or so flattened boxes were stuffed under each armpit.
She smiled. “I don’t think I’ll need all that.”
“What? I can’t be prepared? I have tape in the rig. Also sorry I was late. The sales manager had a last minute customer who was taking their sweet time.”
She thanked Peter for his help. He raised an eyebrow at Christopher’s flowers and candy on the way to the bedroom, but he was polite enough not to mention it.
They packed her things the best they could. She grabbed her clothes and shoes. She then looked at the walls. It’d excited her to decorate after living in a place where she hadn’t been able to drive in a single nail. Chris had given little feedback, but what suggestions he’d given had been good ones. There were only a few pieces of art that she wanted to keep. Chris owned most of the things under their shared roof.
“So... Molly said that you were enjoying the cabin...”
She nodded. Although her vacation hadn’t gone to plan, getting away from Fort Walton had been necessary.
“You took out a real load of trash, that’s for sure.” He laughed when she glanced over at him. “Is that blasphemous to say while we’re standing in his house?”
She smiled. “I’m just glad you’re here. This doesn’t feel like home anymore.”
“You’ll find a new place.” He skipped a slight beat before he asked, “Molly said you had company up at the cabin, hmmm?”
She carefully arranged her shoes at the bottom of a box. “Yeah, some.”
“That didn’t sound very enthusiastic. Maybe Molly talked Julian up too much.”
She smiled glumly. Of course, Molly would have been excited for her friend. And although they weren’t particularly close, she was friends with Peter, too. “Well... I like him... but...” She briefly explained Julian’s past. “It just... leaves me a bit on edge.”
“Oof... Well... sounds like the guy dug himself out of a pretty big hole. Not many do that.”
“Right.” She picked up the last pair of shoes and chucked them into a box. They packed her things in silence for several minutes before she continued. “When Julian told me, that was kind of it for me. The whole thing… It all freaks me out. A lot.”
