Page 157 - It Ends with Us

I follow R yle outside and he’s walking toward the parking lot. I run

to catch up to hi m and he just stops and punc hes at the air.
“I didn’t bring my fucking car !” he yel ls, frustrated .
I pull my key s out of my purse and he walks up to me and sna tches
them from my ha nd . Again, I follow hi m, thi s time to my car.
I don’t kno w wha t to do. I don’t kno w if he ev en want s to spea k to
me right no w. He just saw me locked in a bathro om with a guy I used

to be in love with. Then, out of no where, tha t guy attacks hi m.
God, thi s is so bad.
When we rea ch my car, he he ads straight for the driver’s side door.
He point s to the passeng er side and says, “Get in, Lily.”
He does n’t spea k to me the ent ire time we’re driving . I say hi s
na me onc e, but he just sha kes hi s hea d like he’s no t rea dy to hea r my
ex plana tion yet. When we pull int o my parking garage, he get s out of

the car as soon as he turns it off, like he can’t get away from me fast
eno ugh.
He’s pacing the leng th of the car when I get out. “It wasn’t wha t it
looked like, R yle. I swea r.”
He stops pacing, and when he looks at me, my hea rt doubles over.
There’ s so much pain in his ey es right no w, and it’s no t ev en

nec es sary. It was all due to a stupid misund ers tand ing .
“I didn’t want thi s, Lily,” he says. “I didn’t want a rel ations hi p! I
didn’t want thi s stres s in my life! ”
As much as he’s hu rting because of wha t he thi nk s he saw, hi s
words still piss me off. “Wel l, then leav e!”
“What ?”
I thro w my ha nd s up. “I don’t want to be your burden, R yle! I’m so

sorr y my pres enc e in your life is so unbear ab le!”
He takes a step for ward. “Lily, tha t’s no t at all wha t I’m saying .” He
thro ws hi s ha nd s up in frustration and then walks past me. He lea ns
agains t my car and folds hi s arms over hi s ches t. There’ s a long stret ch
of silenc e whi le I wait for wha t he ha s to say. His hea d is down, but he
lifts it slight ly, looking up at me.

“Naked truths , Lily. Tha t’s all I want from you right no w. Can you
plea se give me tha t?”
I no d.
“Did you kno w he worked there?”