Ten Years Wasted Before Spring Chapter 06
On the third day, an OpenTable confirmation popped up in my email.
It was for the most famous couples restaurant online. Reservations had to be made a month in advance.
Everett had once told me he would take me there for our
first wedding anniversary.
He must have used our old shared account.
The reservation showed a table for two that night, booked under Everett Shaw.
I stared at the notification for a long time, then suddenly laughed.
I laughed until tears started falling.
Everett, so you did remember.
You remembered the places you promised to take me.
You remembered every wish I’d ever mentioned.
The only thing that changed was the woman sitting across from you.
I wiped my tears and kept searching Brynn’s social
accounts.
Sure enough, there was a new post.
[One last selfish choice. After this, we each go our own way.]
By my second week in Seattle, I officially took over the new project.
Work was busier than I expected. Most nights I stayed late.
That was fine. It left me no time to think.
Everett finally flew to Seattle.
He waited outside my office building, unshaven, hollow-eyed, nothing like the polished man I knew.
“Celia, we need to talk.” He grabbed my wrist, his voice rough.
I pulled my hand free.
“Come to my place. Not here.”
I took him back to the apartment I was renting.
As soon as he stepped inside, he dropped to his knees.
“I know I was wrong, Celia.” He clutched at the hem of my clothes like a child caught misbehaving. “That night I was drunk. Brynn… we really only did it once.”
“Once?” I asked softly. “Everett Shaw, do you think I’m stupid?”
