Wardrobe Malfunction(81)

Reaching him, I stop a foot away. But the gap between us feels an awful lot bigger.

Silence stretches.

He finally looks at me.

I force myself to smile. I know it’s a sad smile, but it’s the best I can manage while my heart is breaking. “What we had…it was and always will be the most important time in my life. I’ll remember it and you forever.”

I go to touch him one last time. I step closer, just to touch my hand to his arm, but he moves away.

He doesn’t even want me to touch him.

The rejection stings my cheeks and brings on a fresh set of tears. I force myself to smile through them even though my lips are trembling and my heart is dying.

“Have the best life, Vaughn West. Be happy. You, more than anyone, deserve it.”

One last look at him, and then I walk away, pulling my case behind me. I don’t look back.

Tears are streaming down my face. I bite my lip to stop the sob that wants to burst out of me.

All I want is to lie down on the grass and curl up into a ball, but I force myself to keep going while my hand rubs away tears that won’t stop falling.

I guess, when you open the dam, a fuck-load of water comes rushing out.

I keep walking, not sure of what I’m doing or where to go. I can see Vaughn’s parents’ house coming up, and I don’t want them to see me.

They must hate me. I kind of hate myself right now.

So, I keep my focus ahead and walk quickly.

I need to get a cab and get out of here. Only I don’t know the numbers of any cab companies. I’ve just got to pray Uber works around here.

I just need to get off the farm and onto the main road, and then I can take a breath and figure out how to get to the airport.

I can just stay there until there’s a flight out of here. God, I don’t even know if there’s a direct flight to New York.

“Charly.”

The sound of Vaughn’s grandma’s voice brings me to a stop. I covertly dry my face on my hand and take a breath before turning to her.

“Hi,” I say.

She smiles. “You’re leaving?”

I glance back at Vaughn’s house. “Yes. Look, I’m really sorry about Vaughn…what happened—”

“Can I tell you a secret?”

Her words surprise me.

But I answer her in the only way I can right now, “That’s the one thing I am good at—keeping secrets.” I make a self-derogatory laugh at myself.

“I was married once,” she tells me. “Before I met Vaughn’s granddaddy, I was married to a man I didn’t love. Something tells me that you did the same. Probably for very different reasons, but we both married men we weren’t in love with. Mine was for money to help save my family from bankruptcy. Your reason…I’m not sure of, but you definitely didn’t marry for love. That, I know for sure.”

“What makes you so sure?” My voice is small, timid.

“Call it intuition. Or because of the way you look at my grandson. You only look at one man in your lifetime the way you look at Vaughn. I know because it’s the exact same way I used to look at Vaughn’s granddaddy. Like the day began and ended with him. Well, that, and the fact that you came straight here to see Vaughn instead of going home to your husband.”

She’s got me there.

I stare at my feet, unsure of what to say.

“You want a cocktail?” she asks. “I just made up a jug of pi?a colada.”

I lift my eyes to her. “It’s pretty early in the day to be drinking.”

“Nonsense.” She waves my words away with her hands. “It’s never too early for a cocktail.” She turns and starts to walk toward the house.

I stay rooted to the spot, unsure if I should go inside. If I can go inside.

Surely, they all must hate me. I must be the last person on earth that his family wants to see.

I honestly don’t know why his grandma is being so kind to me.

She stops and turns back to me. “Nobody’s home, if that’s what you’re worried about. They’re out for the day at the farmers market. So, do you want that pi?a colada or not?”

I glance at Vaughn’s house, and my eyes start to sting with tears again. I realize that I’m not ready to leave just yet.

“Okay,” I say, looking back at her. “A pi?a colada would be nice.”

It’s not like I have anywhere else to be right now. And a cocktail might be just what I need to take away this aching Vaughn-shaped hole inside my chest.





Vaughn


I’ve been lying here, on my sofa, for two hours now, staring at my ceiling.

After Charly left, I came in my house and lay down on the sofa, and I haven’t moved since. Well, if I’m being precise, it’s been more than two hours since she left. It’s been two hours and seventeen minutes.

Only she didn’t leave. I sent her away.

Shawn Mendes’s “Stitches” ends, and Snow Patrol’s “You Could Be Happy” starts to play on my phone.

I might have broken my own rule and brought my cell into my house.

I didn’t want to sit in silence, so I only brought it in to listen to music. While I stare at the ceiling. Not thinking about Charly.

I didn’t bring it inside in case she called.