Page 46 - It Ends with Us

He puts hi s arm around her and kisses the top of her he ad. “I’m

proud of you, Issa.”
I like tha t he calls her Issa, whi ch I’m assuming is sho rt for Allysa. I
thi nk about my own na me and if I’ll ev er find a guy who could
sho rten it int o a sickeni ng ly cute ni ckna me. Illy.
No pe. No t the sam e.
“Do you need hel p get ting ho me?” she asks.

I ho p down and tes t my foot. “Maybe just to my car. It’s my lef t foot,
so I can probably drive just fine. ”
She walks over and puts her arm around me. “If you want to lea ve
the key s with me, I’ll lock up and come back tomorro w and start
clea ni ng .”
The three of them walk me to my car, but R yle allows Allysa to do
most of the work. He seems almost scared to touch me no w for some

rea son. When I’m in the driver’s sea t, Allysa puts my purse and other
thi ng s in the floorboard and sits in the passeng er sea t. She takes my
pho ne out and beg ins programming her nu mber int o it.
R yle lea ns int o the wind ow. “Make sure to keep ice on it as much as
you can for the nex t few days. Baths hel p, too.”
I no d. “Tha nk s for your hel p.”

Allysa lea ns over and says, “R yle? Maybe you sho uld drive her ho me
and take a cab back to the apartment , just to be safe. ”
R yle looks down at me and then sha kes hi s hea d. “I don’t thi nk
tha t’s a good idea ,” he says. “She’l l be fine. I’ve ha d a few beers ,
probably sho uldn’t be driving .”
“You could at lea st hel p her home, ” Allysa sugges ts.
R yle sha kes hi s hea d and the n pats the roof of the car as he turns

and walks away.
I’m still watchi ng hi m when Allysa ha nd s me back my pho ne and
says, “Seri ously. I’m rea lly sorry about hi m. First he hi ts on you, then
he’s a sel fis h assho le. ” She climbs out of the car and closes the door,
then lea ns thro ugh the wind ow. “Tha t’s why he’l l be sing le for the res t
of his life. ” She point s to my pho ne. “Tex t me when you get ho me.

And call me if you need any thi ng . I won’t count favors as work-time. ”
“Tha nk you, Allysa.”
She smiles . “No, tha nk you. I ha ven’t been thi s ex cited about my
life since tha t Paolo Nutini conc ert I went to last yea r.” She waves