Page 95 of When We Were Us
“I know.”
The buzzing comes again.
She lets out a sigh of annoyance and pulls her phone back out, clicking off the screen, and silencing the vibration.
“They’ll leave a voicemail.” She sets the phone on the coffee table, face up this time, and throws back her blanket. “You want more to drink?”
I nod and hand her my glass. She takes it and leaves the living room just as Colonel Jessup takes the stand on the TV.
“You’re missing the best part,” I call out to her after a minute or so.
“Seen it a hundred times!” Her answering laugh is muffled from the kitchen.
Her phone buzzes again, and though I can’t see who it is, I can see from where I sit that it’s a text. A few seconds later, it buzzes again, another message lighting up the screen.
Three more messages come through in rapid succession before she comes back with our drinks. I’m pretty sure I know exactly whose name lights the screen. I know she isn’t with him anymore, but the fact does nothing to stop the skin on the back of my neck from prickling and my gut going tight.
“Your phone is blowing up, Wren. It’s really ok if you need to check it. I don’t mind,” I say, taking my drink from her.
She swipes the phone off the table and clicks into her messages as she sits down, her shoulders rigid.
“Everything ok?” I ask after she’s quiet for a few beats.
“I mean, not really, but also, yes?” She shakes her head. “I mean, take a hint, dude.”
“Your ex?”
“Unfortunately.” She swipes away from the messages and drops her phone in her lap, her eyes on the TV.
Irritation snakes its way through my gut. Not for me, but for Wren. I still don’t know everything that happened, but it’s clear she doesn’t want to talk to him.
“What’s his deal?”
She looks over at me, her eyes considering. “You really want to know?”
“I really want to know.”
She clears her throat and pulls her sweater around her like she’s wrapping herself in armor. I’ve seen her do this same thing multiple times: the day we argued on the porch, and the night Apollo was sick.
“He cheated. I found out shortly before my granddad passed.” The words are tight, and she doesn’t look at me as she says them.
I clench my jaw. This fucker cheated and it was recent. Too recent. I hadn’t expected that.
“What does he want?” I work to keep my voice even. It’s not easy. I’m reeling with how recently she must have called things off. It doesn’t change my feelings for her. Hell, if nearly twenty years apart hasn’t, not much could. But the thought of someone cheating on her makes me want to break something. Preferably this asshole’s nose. That takes precedence at this moment. I hate seeing her upset.
“Everything.” She looks over at me, and instead of sadness or hurt, I see anger. “He wants everything. The condo, the business, my clients. Everything.”
I have to stop myself from reaching for her when she presses her fingers into her eye sockets in frustration. “I’m sorry.” She pauses. “I know this is probably the last thing you want to talk about.” She huffs out a humorless laugh. “God, it’s the last thingIwant to talk about.”
“Stop.” This time, I scoot over to her and put my arm across the back of the couch. I just want to touch her, comfort her. Be close to her. “You don’t have to apologize for anything this asshole does, Wrenley.”
She nods and looks over at me just as her phone buzzes again.
She picks it up and swipes the screen to pull up her messages. She stabs angrily at the screen with her thumb, opening the message thread between the two of them.
I’m sitting close enough that I can see it’s nothing but black bubbles of text. No messages in blue to indicate she has replied.
She huffs out a breath as she silently reads his most recent group of messages.
