Page 69 - It Ends with Us

date?”

He’s asking it like it’s a casual ques tion, but I kno w it isn’t. When I
fail to res pond , he lea ns in until he’s whi speri ng in my ea r. He rep ea ts
hi msel f, but thi s time it isn’t a ques tion. “You brought a dat e.”
I fin d the courage to look over at hi m and ins tant ly wish I ha dn’t.
He’s in a black suit tha t makes the scrubs look like chi ld’s play. First I
swallow the unex pec ted lump in my thro at and then I say, “Is it a

problem tha t I brought a date?” I look away from hi m and back at the
pho tograph ha ng ing on the wall. “I was trying to make thing s ea sier
on you. You kno w. Just trying to mak e it stop.”
He smirks and then downs the res t of hi s wine. “How tho ught ful of
you, Lily.” He tosses hi s em pty wineg lass toward a trash can in the
corner of the room. He makes the sho t, but the glass sha tters when it
hi ts the bottom of the em pty cont ainer. I glanc e around me, but no

one saw wha t just ha ppened . When I look back at R yle, he’s ha lfway
down a ha llway. He disappea rs int o a room and I stand he re, looking
at the picture again.
Tha t’s when I see it.
The picture is blurred , so it was ha rd to make out at firs t. But I can
rec ogni ze tha t ha ir from any where. Tha t’s my ha ir. It’s ha rd to miss,

along with the marine- grade polymer loung e cha ir I’m lying on. Thi s
is the picture he took on the rooftop the first night we met. He must ha ve ha d
it blown up and distorted so no one would no tice wha t it was. I bring
my ha nd to my nec k, bec ause my blood feel s like it’s bubbling . It’s
real ly war m in he re.
Allysa appea rs at my side. “It’s wei rd, hu h?” she says, looking at the
picture.

I scratch at my ches t. “It’s rea lly ho t in here, ” I say. “Don’t you
thi nk ?”
She glanc es around the room. “Is it? I ha dn’t no ticed , but I’m a
little drunk . I’ll tel l Marsha ll to turn on the air.”
She disappea rs again, and the more I stare at the picture, the
ang rier I get . The man ha s a picture of me ha ng ing in the apartment .

He bought me flowers . He’s giving me attitude bec ause I brought a
date to hi s sister’s party. He’s acting like there’ s actually somet hi ng
bet ween us, and we’v e nev er even kissed !