Page 79 of Fighting Words

“Bullshit,” he snaps.

My fingers turn into angry little fists. If I could, I would scrape my nails down his chest, push and shove him, unleash this rage and worry and guilt.

I can’t touch him though. I could never hurt him in that way.

“You don’t understand what I’m giving up,” I say, my voice weak now. “What I would be walking away from…”

I see the change come over him slowly. The tears swimming in my eyes scare him, I know it. He steps back and shakes his head. He puts that careful distance between us, wounding me unintentionally. “Don’t give it up then.”

Like it’s that simple.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Be with Andrew,” he insists.

“Fuck you, Nate.”

Before Nate, I’ve never said those words out loud to another person before. I’ve never been in a relationship where we would ever use language like that. It’s laughable to think Andrew would ever elicit this reaction from me, but Nate draws every single emotion to the surface. With him, I’m a live wire.

He doesn’t take the words to heart though. He doesn’t explode. He watches the tears slip down my cheeks and he wears his empathy like a badge of honor, his eyebrows tugging together, his mouth turned down in a frown.

“Why can’t you be with him? If it’s what you want?”

Isn’t it obvious?

“Because I met you.”

CHAPTER 23

SUMMER

Andrew touchesmy shoulder and I jolt awake on the couch. Cat is huddled behind my legs. A fleece blanket is tugged up just beneath my chin; it was cold down here last night without the fire. I needed another blanket and a decent pillow, but I didn’t want to go back upstairs after what happened with Nate in the kitchen. I relegated myself to the couch for the few hours of sleep I could manage, and now Andrew stares down at me with a look I haven’t seen in months, not since our breakup.

He understands intuitively what’s happened, maybe not the details between Nate and me, but at least the dissolution of our relationship, for good this time.

“Sorry to wake you.”

I shake my head as I sit up quickly. “No. It’s totally okay.” I whip off my blanket and immediately regret it once I feel how cold the cottage is. “Here, let me get us some coffee.”

I’m about to stand, but Andrew shakes his head. I notice then that he’s already dressed. His suitcase sits behind him near the front door.

“I don’t have long. A car is coming for me. I’ll grab coffee at the airport.”

My sleep-addled brain has a hard time keeping up. “How did you get a car?”

Last I checked there was no cell service or internet out here. It would have been impossible for him to schedule something.

“I set it up with the guy who drove me yesterday. Sort of as a contingency plan.” He looks away. “Just…I didn’t want to be stranded out here without a car.”

His confession is heartbreaking.

“You’re leaving?”

He nods once, and I don’t have it in me to pretend anymore. I won’t try to convince him to stay.

“How long until your car gets here?” I ask, wiping the sleep from my eyes as I stand up off the couch.

“Ten minutes.”

---