but I
ran into your coworker. Patricia? She said I had to come clean
about the gifts. So here I am, making a romantic gesture.”
My stomach clenched uncomfortably. It was
nice of him, I supposed. And I did like that he’d been thinking of
me. Maybe missing me. “That was you ? You’ve been leaving me
the coffees? The scraper and the massage?”
“What? What massage? I brought you coffee and
ordered flowers. That’s it. I don’t know anything about a scraper
or a massage.” He waved it away. “Doesn’t matter. I’m trying to
tell you that I was wrong and I want you back.”
I looked down at the flask and waited. Out of
the corner of my eye I saw David shift on his feet.
“I mean,” he said, “we should give it another
try.” He took a step and touched my sleeve. “I know how you hate
the cold. You could fill it up with some Scotch or something.”
“And what?” I gave a startled laugh. “Get
drunk at work?”
“If we get back together, maybe we can try
having a social life for once.” David winced when I took a small
step backward. “I don’t mean it like that. I’m royally fucking this
up. I miss you, Greg. I think I want you back. Like I said, I… I
made a mistake last year. And I’m really sorry. I thought… I didn’t
realize I was happy with you until I didn’t have you anymore.”
“You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s
gone,” I said, regretting it almost instantly. I was still waiting
for the butterflies to burst free from my stomach. I’d been waiting
for months to hear this, hadn’t I?
David smiled at me sadly, his baby blues
shining against those cold-tinged pink cheeks of his. His hair was
a mess, sticking up in wild, dirty-blond tufts rising with static
from his hat. He was sporting a little goatee he didn’t used to
have when we were together, and it suited him. David was gorgeous
in a rugged sort of way, the kind of man you’d expect to find on a
mountain with a rifle, hunting deer. A different sort of gorgeous
than Carl, who was sophisticatedly handsome, or even Ashley, who
was almost delicately beautiful. I wondered how they were getting
on—if Carl had managed to explain. I hoped Ashley didn’t hate
me.
“Greg?” David asked, doubt creeping into his
eyes. He reached to touch my cheek. “Did you hear me?”
“I heard you,” I murmured, my eyes on the
flask, and I knew. If he’d come to me two weeks ago instead of
sending me those damn flowers, I might’ve considered getting into
this again, which would have been a loneliness-fueled mistake.
“Look,” I said, searching for words. “I
appreciate it, David, I do. I felt terrible for a long time when
you left, and it helps to know you think you made a mistake, but I
think it might be too late. I’m actually starting to think we
weren’t all that good for each other after all.”
“That wasn’t all me, you know. And people
fight in relationships, it’s normal. We had such good times too.”
He smiled, eyelids drooping. “I’m sure I could persuade you,” David
said, and I took another step back as he advanced on me. “I never
gave you what you needed, did I? But I can now. I’ve—I’ve
learned.”
Oh my God, I did not want to know. A
teasing twinkle lit his face like it used to when things had been
good in the very beginning of our relationship, and I gasped. He
took it for an invitation it really wasn’t, because he was on me,
pressing me against the wall, one hand cradling the back of my
head.
“David, no.” I set my hands to his chest and
pushed, but he pushed back, burrowing his face into my hair. The
flask dug awkwardly into my palm.
“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed in my ear.
I turned my face away as far as I could.
“David, get off me. This is not going to
happen.” I’d knee him in the balls if I had to, but only as a last
resort. David didn’t scare me. I felt sorry for him, really.
“Greg, we can make this work.” He took my
face in both his hands and held
ran into your coworker. Patricia? She said I had to come clean
about the gifts. So here I am, making a romantic gesture.”
My stomach clenched uncomfortably. It was
nice of him, I supposed. And I did like that he’d been thinking of
me. Maybe missing me. “That was you ? You’ve been leaving me
the coffees? The scraper and the massage?”
“What? What massage? I brought you coffee and
ordered flowers. That’s it. I don’t know anything about a scraper
or a massage.” He waved it away. “Doesn’t matter. I’m trying to
tell you that I was wrong and I want you back.”
I looked down at the flask and waited. Out of
the corner of my eye I saw David shift on his feet.
“I mean,” he said, “we should give it another
try.” He took a step and touched my sleeve. “I know how you hate
the cold. You could fill it up with some Scotch or something.”
“And what?” I gave a startled laugh. “Get
drunk at work?”
“If we get back together, maybe we can try
having a social life for once.” David winced when I took a small
step backward. “I don’t mean it like that. I’m royally fucking this
up. I miss you, Greg. I think I want you back. Like I said, I… I
made a mistake last year. And I’m really sorry. I thought… I didn’t
realize I was happy with you until I didn’t have you anymore.”
“You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s
gone,” I said, regretting it almost instantly. I was still waiting
for the butterflies to burst free from my stomach. I’d been waiting
for months to hear this, hadn’t I?
David smiled at me sadly, his baby blues
shining against those cold-tinged pink cheeks of his. His hair was
a mess, sticking up in wild, dirty-blond tufts rising with static
from his hat. He was sporting a little goatee he didn’t used to
have when we were together, and it suited him. David was gorgeous
in a rugged sort of way, the kind of man you’d expect to find on a
mountain with a rifle, hunting deer. A different sort of gorgeous
than Carl, who was sophisticatedly handsome, or even Ashley, who
was almost delicately beautiful. I wondered how they were getting
on—if Carl had managed to explain. I hoped Ashley didn’t hate
me.
“Greg?” David asked, doubt creeping into his
eyes. He reached to touch my cheek. “Did you hear me?”
“I heard you,” I murmured, my eyes on the
flask, and I knew. If he’d come to me two weeks ago instead of
sending me those damn flowers, I might’ve considered getting into
this again, which would have been a loneliness-fueled mistake.
“Look,” I said, searching for words. “I
appreciate it, David, I do. I felt terrible for a long time when
you left, and it helps to know you think you made a mistake, but I
think it might be too late. I’m actually starting to think we
weren’t all that good for each other after all.”
“That wasn’t all me, you know. And people
fight in relationships, it’s normal. We had such good times too.”
He smiled, eyelids drooping. “I’m sure I could persuade you,” David
said, and I took another step back as he advanced on me. “I never
gave you what you needed, did I? But I can now. I’ve—I’ve
learned.”
Oh my God, I did not want to know. A
teasing twinkle lit his face like it used to when things had been
good in the very beginning of our relationship, and I gasped. He
took it for an invitation it really wasn’t, because he was on me,
pressing me against the wall, one hand cradling the back of my
head.
“David, no.” I set my hands to his chest and
pushed, but he pushed back, burrowing his face into my hair. The
flask dug awkwardly into my palm.
“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed in my ear.
I turned my face away as far as I could.
“David, get off me. This is not going to
happen.” I’d knee him in the balls if I had to, but only as a last
resort. David didn’t scare me. I felt sorry for him, really.
“Greg, we can make this work.” He took my
face in both his hands and held
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