Page 85 of Five Years
Ariana looked as though she was about to respond, but Leah held up a hand, her voice cutting through the air.
“I’m done with this.” Each word careful and controlled.
Ariana took a step closer, desperation in her eyes. “Leah, please, you don’t understand. None of what you’re saying is true.”
“Don’t talk to me about the truth, Ariana, when all you’ve done is lie.”
“I broke up with Hannah.” She took a deep breath, her words tumbling out.
“You said that last time. Another lie.”
“I didn’t lie, I just didn’t have the guts to tell her the truth. I never wanted to hurt Hannah—I tried to make it as painless as possible. But in doing that, I wasn’t clear enough. My choice of words left room for interpretation, and that’s my fault.”
“So, it’s over?”
“Yes, it’s over.”
“Then why haven’t you called?” Leah’s breath hitched, and for a moment, the sound of the city faded, the silence between them filled with everything they wanted to say.
“I owed Hannah an explanation—a chance to understand where it went wrong. I never gave that to you, and I regret it. I moved on with Hannah and never allowed you the time to process, to ask questions, to fight, to seek to understand before I left. Your questions went unanswered. I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. It was the least I could do,” Ariana said truthfully, her eyes wide, pleading.
“So, you answered her questions, and now what?”
“I moved out. A work colleague offered me a place to stay for a month until I can find something more permanent. It’s over.”
“You told her you weren’t in love with me anymore...”
“I didn’t mean it. It couldn’t be further from the truth. Everything I’ve said to you still stands. I love you, Leah. I might’ve gone about things in the wrong way, but I did the best I could. I was in an impossible situation. I knew if we had any chance of being what we used to be, I needed to end things properly with Hannah—I needed to prove to you I was fully committed to this. To us.”
“And what about the job at my dad’s firm? Why would you do that? How do I know your intention was genuine?”
“I did it because of you,” Ariana said quietly.
Leah’s face crumpled. “You showed your interest before I came to New York. How could you have done it because of me?”
“Because I knew if I worked closely with your father, there was a chance I might see you again.”
“Wait . . .the fundraising gala . . .did you know I was going to be there?”
Ariana nodded.
“I would’ve never had the guts to admit I was wrong in leaving you, Leah. I was scared to leave Hannah, to come back to Michigan with my tail between my legs hoping you might forgive me. So I thought if one day I could just bump into you—if we could somehow, someway end up in the same place at the same time—maybe that would set off the chain of events that would eventually get me here.”
Leah felt that old pull, the ache in her body that made her want to reach for Ariana.
“I don’t know what to say, or believe, or feel anymore.”
“Just say that you believe me. We can work on everything else if you can just find it in yourself to believe what I’m telling you,” Ariana pleaded.
“I want to believe you, and I want to forgive you for what you did back then—but I can’t pretend it didn’t matter. You mattered to me, more than anything.”
It felt like a fragile promise.
They were just two people standing in the cold, separated by years of history that neither had truly moved on from, and Leah was torn. Torn between her undeniable love for Ariana and the betrayal she still felt—both past and present.
“I know I hurt you,” Ariana said, her voice cracking. “I never meant to.”
Leah’s eyes clouded with memories—the look on Ariana’s face when she walked away for the final time.
