We had been dating for 6 years, but she never acknowledged me in her social circles. One year, her company’s annual celebration gave the family a chance to attend. I dressed in a suit, eager to surprise her, only to be introduced as 'a college classmate' to her coworkers.
And now, when I was giving her exactly what she always seemed to want, she was angry?
“Arianne, can I help you? We’re having a reunion. Probably not the best time.”
She opened her mouth, ready to argue, but a voice called from behind her.
“Arianne, everyone’s waiting for you.”
Hudson Myers.
Arianne took a deep breath, shot me a glare sharp enough to cut glass, and finally let him pull her away.
Later that evening, once the anniversary event wrapped up, I said goodbye to my classmates at the school gate. I had just reached for my phone to call a cab when a familiar car slowed to a stop beside me.
The window rolled down, revealing Arianne’s tense profile.
“Get in.”
After such a long day, I didn’t have the energy to argue on the sidewalk. I quietly opened the door and got in.
The car settled into a heavy silence.
Back then, I would have forced conversation, desperate to smooth things over, only for her to sigh and snap, “Clyde, can’t you be quiet for one minute?”
Tonight, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the campus forum, casually looking over the couple of photos of her and Hudson that had been uploaded recently.
With a sudden slam on the brakes, Arianne jerked the car to the side of the road. Before I could react, she leaned all the way over, one hand grabbing firmly around the back of my neck.
In six years together, we had experienced our share of reckless moments. The car had always been one of our favorite places to feel close. But this time, as her face moved closer to mine, the memory of her kissing Hudson in the afternoon sunlight flashed through my mind, sharp enough to make my vision spin.
A wave of nausea surged through me.
I shoved her away with force, flung the car door open, and crouched on the roadside, retching with no dignity at all.
My stomach twisted violently, but nothing came up, only the burn of sour bile rising in my throat.
Arianne stepped out of the car as well. Her expression shifted from pale green to bone white as she stared at me like she could not comprehend what she was seeing.