Chapter 19
Corrine
I’m tempted to bust through Xavier’s door seconds after he slams it shut. For a second, there was the slightest change in his features. I had turned around from the stove to find him staring at me, with a faraway expression. And there was something there that had me hoping that something was coming back to him.
Then he ruined my hope. And also pissed me off. Why is he consistently so rude? Would it kill him to be polite and say ‘Hey Corrine, it smells good. Are you cooking? Would it be alright if I joined you?’
To which I would have politely said ‘If you can do so without being a complete asshole.’
Instead, he just stood there staring like an idiot, then panicked when I asked him a simple question.
I’m still staring at his closed door when I realize the bacon is burning.
“Fuck.” I spin around and grab the pan off the stove, throwing the burnt bacon in the trash. I rummage through his fridge, looking for the rest of my ingredients. Being here, cooking in his kitchen, and digging through his fridge feels familiar since I’ve been here a million times. But now, if Xavier were to come out again, I would feel like I’m being caught doing something I shouldn’t. Seriously, this is going to be a long weekend.
I finish making my sandwich, and make an identical one for Xavier, placing it in the fridge in case he gets his shit together. I grab cheese and crackers and uncork a bottle of red wine that’s on his counter. Dinner for one, it seems.
I sit on the couch and reach for the remote, thinking back to all the times we fucked or simply cuddled next to each other right here. If I have to spend the night here, I sure as hell will try to get tipsy while it happens.
I refill my wine glass, settling on an episode of Friends, the one where Monica proposes to Chandler. Not great for my melancholy mood, but the show is a go-to whenever we hang out here.
I grab the blanket at the end of his couch and tuck myself under it, laughing at the characters on the screen. It isn’t long before I’m drifting off to sleep.