Page 142 - It Ends with Us

Chapter Fourteen

My pho ne ring s. I pick it up to see who it is and I’m a little taken
aback. It’s the firs t time R yle ha s ev er called me. We always just tex t.
How odd to ha ve a boyfriend for over three mont hs tha t I’ve nev er
onc e spoken to on the pho ne.

“Hel lo?”
“Hey, girlfriend ,” he says.
I smile chees ily at the sound of hi s voice. “Hey, boyfriend .”
“Gues s wha t?”
“Wha t?”

“I’m taking the day off tomorro w. Your floral sho p does n’t open
unt il one o’clock on Sund ays. I’m on my way to your apartment with
two bottles of wine. You want to ha ve a sleep over with your boyfriend
and ha ve drunk en sex all ni ght and sleep unt il no on?”
It’s rea lly em barra ssing wha t hi s words do to me. I smile and say,
“Gues s wha t?”
“Wha t?”

“I’m cooking you dinner. And I’m wea ring an apron. ”
“Oh yea h?” he says.
“Just an apron. ” And then I ha ng up.
A few sec ond s later, I get a tex t mes sage.
Ryle: Pi c, please.

Me: Get over here and you can take the picture yourself.
I’m almost fini shed prep aring the cassero le mixture when the door
opens . I pour it int o the glass pan and don’t turn around when I hea r
hi m walk int o the kitchen. When I said I was just wea ring an apron, I
mea nt it. I’m no t ev en wea ring pant ies .
I can hea r hi m suck in a rush of air when I rea ch over to the oven
and stick the cassero le ins ide. I might rea ch a little too far for sho w

when I do it. When I close the oven, I don’t face hi m. I grab a rag and
start wiping down the oven, making sure to sway my hi ps as much as