Chapter 2
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I couldn’t sleep all night, and it wasn’t until the doorbell jolted me awake late the next morning that I realized it was already after eleven.
Annoyed, I ran a hand through my hair and trudged downstairs to open the the door.
To my surprise, Caleb was standing on the other side.
Any trace of sleep vanished instantly. I stiffened, feeling a prickle of discomfort, and unconsciously rubbed my left forearm.
“What are you doing here?”
Caleb’s usually stoic face tightened when he saw how disheveled I looked; his eyes full of impatience and scrutiny.
I braced myself, expecting another lecture about how I was lazy and unmotivated. But after a moment, he just said, “I came to take you out for
lunch.”
He paused, his tone softening a little, though it sounded awkward. “Yesterday was my fault. I shouldn’t have put you in a tough spot with your parents. It won’t happen again.”
“There won’t be a next time.”
I hesitated, then gave up on saying anything more. After all, I’d said everything there was to say, countless times. If words could fix this, we wouldn’t be here now.
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“I already have lunch plans with a friend,” I said, moving to close the door.
He reached out to stop it, frowning. “Brielle, haven’t I told you to stop hanging around that crowd? All they do is drink and party, living off their parents. If you keep spending time with them, you’ll end up just like them!”
The contempt in his eyes made it hard to breathe.
But then I laughed. “Isn’t it your good friend Mabel who’s always out drinking and partying? Seems to me you spend plenty of time with her.”
His expression turned icy. “Brielle, there’s a limit to your attitude. Don’t compare your friends to Mabel!”
I gave a weary smile. “Fine. Let go. I’m closing the door.”
He kept his face cold. “Do you even know what time it is? Still in bed at this hour. The minute you’re not under my watch, you slack off completely. You have zero standards for yourself. What’s the difference between this and just drifting through life?“.
“Caleb.” I’d had enough. My anger flared. “My life isn’t yours to manage! We’re not together anymore!”
He fell silent, as if he couldn’t quite process what I’d said. He stared at me for a long moment, then finally spoke, his voice gentler. “Just come have lunch with me, okay? Skipping meals is bad for your health. Let’s sit down and talk.”
I clenched my fists. “There’s nothing left for us to talk about.”
He closed his eyes, like he was trying to hold back his frustration. “Brielle, can you stop fighting me for once? We’ve been together eight years. Are you really ready to just end it like this? Do you even care how I
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feel?”
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What was there to care about? He’d always cared more about his so–called girl–bro.
But it looked like this lunch wasn’t optional.
Fine. If that’s how it was going to be, then we’d lay everything out and end things with some dignity.
I changed clothes and walked with him toward the parking lot.
Out of habit, I reached for the passenger door.
But Caleb got there first and opened it. “You’re sitting in the back. Mabel’s new to driving, so I need to sit up front and keep an eye on her.”
I froze.
Mabel poked her head out and grinned at me. “Hey there, Ms. Marlowe! I’m your driver today!”
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