Son of a bitch.
2
PAIGE
With my armsfull of boxes, I limp by Marcus for the third time. I shouldn’t be surprised he doesn’t notice I’m moving out.
Because he doesn’t care.
Back and forth I go. My ankle hurts like a bitch, but I can’t carry these boxes and my crutches at the same time.
Finally, half an hour later, he finally looks up from his giant flatscreen. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” When he doesn’t say anything, I keep going.
“Paige.”
I pause and turn to him. “I’m moving out.”
“What? Why?”
He looks genuinely confused. Between the two of us, he’s supposed to be the smart one. I roll my eyes and carry the last of my crap to my car. It’s a sad reflection on my life that all of my belongings fit in my old Kia Rio hatchback.
“Paige,” he calls out from behind me as I shove the box in my passenger seat. “What’s wrong?”
I hate having confrontations, but I suppose there’s no way around this. I close my car door and turn around. “I heard what you said last night.”
He follows me back into his apartment, where I grab my purse and my crutches. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I’m tired, my ankle is throbbing, and I don’t care about salvaging this relationship, which makes the words a little easier to say. “Do you remember what you told your friend when he asked if you were bringing me home for your parents’ anniversary dinner?”
Marcus freezes. “You heard that?”
Yes, asshole. I heard that.But there’s no sense in being antagonistic. “Thank you for letting me live with you last year when that tree bulldozed the house I was renting. I really appreciate you helping me then, but I’ve obviously overstayed my welcome. I left you the money I owed you for rent on the kitchen table.”
He and I were never right together. I should’ve moved out months ago, like I told my friends I was going to, but I hate making waves. I knew I didn’t love Marcus, and he didn’t love me, but I guess I was hoping we’d break through that and level up.
All of my friends are falling in love and pairing off, and I want that too. I’m starting to worry something’s wrong with me because I’ve never been in love. And when I say love, I mean adult love, not whatever idiotic thing I felt for Rhett Walker.
I hoped I could make it happen with Marcus if I stuck it out long enough.
Now I realize he’s not the kind of man I want for my happily ever after.
“Baby, don’t be like that.” He tries to grab my hand, but I push him off. He follows me back outside. “It’s just… myparents won’t understand what you’re doing with yourself after graduation.”
I really don’t need another person questioning my life goals. “Good luck finding the perfect trophy wife. I’m sure she’s out there somewhere.” I shove my crutches into the footwell of the passenger side. They barely fit.
“Look, you can come with me to their brunch if you want.”
“Gee, thanks. Appreciate the invite,” I say sarcastically as I drop into the driver’s side with a groan.
When I try to close the door, he blocks it. “Paige, are you seriously going to walk away like this? I’m about to make junior vice president at the company.”
“See, unlike you, I don’t care one way or another if you’re rich and climbing the corporate ladder.”
“But we’ll have more time to spend together once I get that raise.”
I laugh darkly. “We have plenty of time together now, but you’re too busy playing video games or hanging out with your bros to notice me. And that’s fine. Live life the way you want to, only I’m tired of feeling like an afterthought.”
