No one announced that they were leaving because of Liam.<\/p>\n
That would have required a kind of bluntness most people did not possess.<\/p>\n
Instead, the party dissolved politely.<\/p>\n
Coats appeared.<\/p>\n
Empty glasses were set on tables.<\/p>\n
Someone remembered an early morning.<\/p>\n
Someone else suddenly had to relieve a babysitter.<\/p>\n
A couple who had arrived twenty minutes earlier apologized for leaving so soon, although both of them avoided looking directly at Liam.<\/p>\n
Within fifteen minutes, the apartment felt twice its actual size.<\/p>\n
The music was still playing.<\/p>\n
That somehow made everything worse.<\/p>\n
Sarah reached for the remote and turned it off.<\/p>\n
Silence settled over the room.<\/p>\n
Liam stood beside the balcony doors with both hands planted on his hips.<\/p>\n
His face had gone from red to pale.<\/p>\n
The remaining guests consisted of Sarah, David, David\u2019s wife Elena, Ben, and Marcus, who looked as though he had no idea whether staying was supportive or intrusive.<\/p>\n
I carried abandoned plates into the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I kept walking.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I set the plates in the sink.<\/p>\n
Behind me, Liam said, \u201cCan you stop for one second?\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned around.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression shifted the moment our eyes met.<\/p>\n
That was the exact instant I recognized what he was doing.<\/p>\n
He had lost control of the room, so now he needed a smaller battlefield.<\/p>\n
Me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou seriously have nothing to say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve said several things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stood there and let everybody gang up on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah\u2019s head turned sharply.<\/p>\n
David muttered, \u201cCome on, man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liam pointed at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Stay out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
David stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just accused everybody here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m talking to Chloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I picked up another plate.<\/p>\n
Liam stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew Jessica misunderstood things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI found that out when she said it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could\u2019ve cleared it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy telling her I wasn\u2019t trying to make her uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wouldn\u2019t have been true.\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what I was trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe you can explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened his mouth.<\/p>\n
Nothing came out.<\/p>\n
The silence stretched.<\/p>\n
Ben looked down at the floor.<\/p>\n
Marcus began studying the label on his beer bottle as though it contained complicated instructions.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
Liam finally said, \u201cI wanted everybody to have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked around the destroyed party.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat went well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElena,\u201d David murmured, but his wife was already smiling despite herself.<\/p>\n
Liam heard it.<\/p>\n
His eyes hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is funny to all of you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n
He spun toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been taking shots at me all night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you keep handing me ammunition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah.\u201d<\/p>\n
I spoke quietly.<\/p>\n
She stopped.<\/p>\n
I did not want a crowd defending me.<\/p>\n
Not anymore.<\/p>\n
That was the entire point.<\/p>\n
I had spent too much time building a case for why my feelings deserved consideration.<\/p>\n
I did not need witnesses to convict Liam of being a bad boyfriend.<\/p>\n
I only needed to decide whether I wanted to remain his girlfriend.<\/p>\n
And I already had.<\/p>\n
I dried my hands on a towel.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody should go home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes searched mine.<\/p>\n
I gave the smallest nod.<\/p>\n
She understood.<\/p>\n
David did too.<\/p>\n
He picked up his jacket.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall me tomorrow,\u201d he told Liam.<\/p>\n
Liam scoffed.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo talk when you\u2019re not trying to fight every person in the apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not fighting anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
David stared at him for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
He put his hand lightly against Elena\u2019s back and guided her toward the door.<\/p>\n
Ben followed after an awkward goodbye.<\/p>\n
Marcus lingered near the entryway.<\/p>\n
He opened his mouth twice before settling on, \u201cTake care, man.\u201d<\/p>\n
The door closed.<\/p>\n
Sarah was last.<\/p>\n
She hugged me tightly.<\/p>\n
Her mouth came close to my ear.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou call me if you need anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pulled back.<\/p>\n
Then she looked at Liam.<\/p>\n
Whatever she considered saying, she decided against it.<\/p>\n
That restraint impressed me.<\/p>\n
She left.<\/p>\n
The lock clicked.<\/p>\n
For the first time all evening, Liam and I were alone.<\/p>\n
The apartment looked wrecked.<\/p>\n
Napkins lay under chairs.<\/p>\n
Half the food remained untouched.<\/p>\n
A wineglass had tipped near the couch, leaving a dark red stain on the rug.<\/p>\n
One gold balloon had detached from its ribbon and settled into a corner.<\/p>\n
Liam looked at me.<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou embarrassed me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not Jessica.<\/p>\n
Not the lie.<\/p>\n
Not my relationship with him.<\/p>\n
His embarrassment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t tell Jessica you called me your roommate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I really don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
His hands curled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stood there acting like some saint while everyone judged me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hosted your party.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur party.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Interesting that it had become ours again.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me three days ago that if I couldn\u2019t handle Jessica being here, I could leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was not what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have said that a lot tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause everybody keeps twisting my words.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain them clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was frustrated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not an explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew you were going to get weird about Jessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did get weird about Jessica?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid I insult her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMake a scene?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell anyone what you said before Sarah did?\u201d<\/p>\n
His mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what exactly did I do to embarrass you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKnew what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat things might blow up.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew you might behave exactly like yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s such a cheap shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t meant as one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re acting like you\u2019re better than me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached into my purse.<\/p>\n
His eyes dropped to my hand.<\/p>\n
I removed the white envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n
I placed it on the kitchen island.<\/p>\n
\u201cRead it after I leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to Harper\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the night?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor longer than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The anger drained from his expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved toward the bedroom.<\/p>\n
He followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened the closet.<\/p>\n
The empty shelf was no longer subtle.<\/p>\n
He stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI packed some things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the last few days.\u201d<\/p>\n
His head snapped toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou planned to leave before tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something like shock moved through him.<\/p>\n
Not heartbreak.<\/p>\n
Not yet.<\/p>\n
Shock.<\/p>\n
He had believed this evening was about whether I would tolerate Jessica.<\/p>\n
He had never considered that I might be evaluating him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou set me up.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou decided I was guilty before the party.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t decide you were guilty of anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou packed your stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided I didn\u2019t like the way you treated me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on one argument?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what this is.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled a duffel bag from beneath the bed.<\/p>\n
Only a few remaining items needed to go inside.<\/p>\n
He watched me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
I folded two shirts.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAct calm.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d prefer I yell?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d prefer you act like this relationship matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence almost made me laugh.<\/p>\n
Instead, it hurt.<\/p>\n
Quietly.<\/p>\n
Because that was what I had been trying to do for two years.<\/p>\n
Make it matter.<\/p>\n
Enough to discuss problems.<\/p>\n
Enough to repair them.<\/p>\n
Enough to believe each argument could lead somewhere better.<\/p>\n
I zipped the bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis relationship mattered so much to me that I spent months convincing myself things that hurt me weren\u2019t serious enough to leave over.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you honestly want the list?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cancel plans and tell me I\u2019m rigid for being disappointed. You make jokes at my expense and call me sensitive when I don\u2019t laugh. You tell your friends private things about me and say I\u2019m controlling when I ask you not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou interrupt me, then complain that I talk too much when I try to finish a point. You decide what I\u2019m feeling before I speak. You decide what reaction is acceptable before I have one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re rewriting our entire relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I\u2019m finally refusing to edit it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at me.<\/p>\n
I picked up the duffel.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight wasn\u2019t the reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what was?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason was yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the point. You told me your ex mattered enough that I could remove myself from my own housewarming if her presence bothered me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you that because I didn\u2019t want drama.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you never considered what that sentence told me about my place in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes flickered.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t leave because Jessica came.\u201d<\/p>\n
I lifted the bag strap onto my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m leaving because you made it clear that keeping me comfortable mattered less than proving you were entitled to make me uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed once.<\/p>\n
A hard, humorless sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re really throwing away two years over this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked toward the living room.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m refusing to throw away another two.\u201d<\/p>\n
He followed me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t just walk out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe live together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou reminded me whose apartment this was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was in an argument.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still said it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
He moved between me and the door.<\/p>\n
Not threatening.<\/p>\n
But blocking it.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cMove.\u201d<\/p>\n
His breathing changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot until we finish talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are finished talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get to decide that alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Liam.\u201d<\/p>\n
I held his gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually do.\u201d<\/p>\n
For one long moment, neither of us moved.<\/p>\n
Then I looked deliberately at the door.<\/p>\n
His expression shifted.<\/p>\n
He stepped aside.<\/p>\n
I passed him.<\/p>\n
My hand touched the knob.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped but did not turn.<\/p>\n
His voice had changed.<\/p>\n
The anger was gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you really leaving me?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared as though he had never considered the word possible.<\/p>\n
I opened the door.<\/p>\n
Behind me, he said, \u201cAnd that letter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRead it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you stop trying to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped into the hallway.<\/p>\n
The door remained open behind me.<\/p>\n
He did not follow.<\/p>\n
At the elevator, I pressed the button.<\/p>\n
My knees began shaking.<\/p>\n
Not from doubt.<\/p>\n
From delayed adrenaline.<\/p>\n
The elevator doors opened.<\/p>\n
I stepped inside.<\/p>\n
Just before they closed, I saw Liam still standing in the apartment doorway.<\/p>\n
For the first time since I had known him, he had no response prepared.<\/p>\n
No one announced that they were leaving because of Liam. That would have required a kind of bluntness most people did not possess. Instead, the party dissolved politely. Coats appeared. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31216"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31251,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31216\/revisions\/31251"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}