- 7.
I spent the day in a daze, sleeping. When I woke up, I was starving, but the thought of how I’d fallen asleep killed my appetite. I forced myself to make instant noodles. As the water boiled,
the doorbell rang. Whoever it was kept pressing the button, like they’d break the door down if I didn’t answer. I peeked through the peephole. Jason. He had the nerve to show up.
<
I almost didn’t open the door. He slipped a note under the door – a jumbled apology. I opened the door a crack. “What?” I asked coldly. “Can I come in?” he pleaded. I scoffed. “We’re over, Jason. You’re a big movie star getting married. We should avoid any… misunderstandings.” He ignored my sarcasm. “Your eyes are swollen. Have you been crying?” He reached out and gently touched my cheek. “Are you…stupid?”
I’d spent half the day crying over him, and all I got was “stupid“? I flung the door open. “Stupid? Fine! Go find someone smart then!
Leave me alone!” I yelled. “I was top of our
class! I beat you how many times?! And you call
me stupid?”
He seized the opportunity and pushed his way
in, pinning me against the wall. “Why is your
phone off?” “Oh, the battery died, so I turned it
off,” I lied poorly. He didn’t believe me. “Lynn,
your eyes dart around when you lie. Don’t try to
<
fool me.” His voice softened. “You seem less
confident than you used to be. Before, you
would have grabbed my arm, all proud and
defiant, and told everyone you were mine.”
I avoided his gaze, afraid of the disappointment
I might see. “I’ve never been confident… with
you.” I confessed, words I’d buried for years.
From the moment we met, I knew how popular
he was. It’s easy to feel insecure around
someone you adore. “Especially when everyone
thinks I’m a gold digger who abandoned you.
What right do I have to be with you?” Especially
now that he was at the top of his game. I felt
like I’d never catch up.
Jason kissed the corner of my mouth. “But I
know you had your reasons. I’ve been waiting.
for you.” His eyes locked with mine. “Lynn, I
love you. Please… have a little faith in me,
okay?” Understanding dawned. I finally knew
what he’d tried to say at the beach. He’d
worked so hard to become the right person, to
<
earn his place in my future. I didn’t need to
worry about him not loving me. I just needed to
trust him.
He explained everything. He hadn’t written.
those tweets. That morning, as he was leaving,
his mom had asked to borrow his phone. He
couldn’t refuse her she’d raised him single-
handedly. He never imagined she’d give his
phone to someone else. That someone was the
woman from the phone call. Her name was
Molly. She was about his age, and, as he later
learned from his mom, had gone to our high
school. Molly had tweeted those things, logged
out of his account, and blocked my number. He
hadn’t realized what happened until much later,
when his assistant showed him the social media
frenzy. He’d tried to contact me, but couldn’t
reach me, so he tracked down a mutual friend
to get my address. He’d flown back and rushed
straight to my apartment.
Looking at his exhausted face, I felt a pang of
<
guilt. “Why don’t you get some sleep in my
room?” He tightened his grip on my arm. “Will
you stay with me?” It wasn’t much to ask. I
agreed without hesitation.
He slept soundly. When he woke up the next
morning, past nine, he blinked sleepily and
murmured, “This is nice.” I stirred beside him. “What is?” He kissed my cheek. “Holding you. It’s nice.” Sunlight streamed through the
window, illuminating his face. We shared a slow,
tender kiss.
