Page 11 of Taste of Forever
He started in the opposite direction and bumped into me so hard that I stumbled backwards.
And dropped my phone.
“Oh shit! I didn’t see you there. Are you okay?” He put a hand on my arm to steady me.
It happened so quickly, I just blinked up at him dumbly. The nearby streetlamp cast harsh shadows on his face, but I could still tell that he was good-looking. Clean-shaven, early thirties maybe, with a crew cut. He was tall and muscular, and hadactive duty militarywritten all over him.
“I’m okay,” I said after catching my breath. “But I dropped my phone.”
The man cringed as he released my arm. “I’m really sorry. I can replace your screen or anything if it’s damaged.” He bent to retrieve the phone, turning it over quickly to look at the screen and the back. “Hey, look at that.” He smiled as he handed it to me. “Seems it survived.”
Luckily, I did protect my electronics well. The selfie of Justin and I, taken over a year ago, smiled up at me from my perfectly intact lock screen. No cracks in the glass or distortion in theimage. The only damage I could see was some scuffing on the corner of the phone’s case.
“All good?” the man asked.
“Yeah. Saved by the case,” I said with an awkward laugh.
“Glad to hear it. Sorry again for running into you. Have a good night.” With that, he turned and continued on in the direction he was heading.
I paused for a few seconds, willing my heartbeat to slow down before resuming my hurried walk home. With a glance over my shoulder, I watched the man’s back as he walked away. As far as things happening at night to a woman alone, it certainly could have been worse.
The apartment was dark when I walked in, with only the glow of a computer screen lighting up the small living area. Of course Justin was still up, gaming with his buddies.
“Hey,” I said, taking off my purse and coat to hang on the hooks by the front door.
I got no response. Not even a glance as I walked in. Justin had a headset on, talking into the attached microphone to whoever he was gaming with.
His eyes didn’t even flicker from the screen as I crossed the room to the mantle shelf, where I touched the framed photo of me and my parents. It had been years since they passed away, but I still touched their photo every time I came home. It was my little ritual, my way of greeting them every day.
When I turned back to Justin, his eyes were still focused on the screen in front of him like he’d never looked up. At this point, I should have been used to it, but the lack of any reaction from the guy who was supposed to love me still stung. He’d definitely heard me unlock and open the door. Every time I brought it up, he made it sound like some huge ask to just be acknowledged when I came home.
I smothered the spark of anger as I kicked off my shoes. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately, suppressing my own feelings to makehislife easier. But I hated arguing, hated always being made out to be the bad guy and he the victim. I wanted peace in our relationship, and I missed the version of my boyfriend who once made me feel loved.
I walked up behind Justin’s chair, my palm coming to rest on his upper back. Only then did he look up at me, pulling one side of his headphones off of his ear.
“Hey, babe. Home from work early?”
The angry spark I’d smothered moments ago reignited. “I told you I wasn’t working tonight. I went for a night hike at Ryan Creek.”
“Oh, right.” He laughed sheepishly. “My shitty memory.”
With that, he replaced his headphone and returned his attention to the computer, effectively dismissing me.
No,How was it?
Did everything go okay?
Were you safe?
By the way, I finally washed that load of laundry you’ve been reminding me about for the past week.
And, shitty memory? Evidently, it was only shitty when it came to me. He forgot my days off, but he never missed a raid night.
“Resentment is the relationship-killer,” our couples therapist had told us at one of the few sessions I’d managed to drag Justin to. “The two of you need to be a united front against all hardships, even if that hardship is the relationship itself. If you turn against each other, there won’t be a relationship to save.”
I took deep breaths through my nose, each one a battle with that word:resentment.
We wouldn’t last if I let the resentment win. We’d never go back to how happy we used to be if I got offended by everything he did. I had to prioritizeus, not just me.
