Chapter 9
Anna
Iblink up at him, stunned.
“Anna.” His eyes are big as he gazes at me.
“Colin.”
My stomach bottoms out. I haven’t heard from him in over a month, not since he ghosted me after we slept together.
He glances around, like he’s just now realizing we’re in front of a crowded gym with a hundred people around us.
A second later, he lets go of me and crosses his arms over his chest.
“Weird seeing you here,” he says.
I furrow my brow. “What does that mean?”
He clears his throat, then shakes his head. “Nothing, I just…I’m a little surprised to see you, that’s all.”
I scoff, jolted by how annoyed he sounds. He ghosts me, and he has the nerve to sound irritated?
“Yeah, I’m surprised too,” I say, unable to hide the bite in my tone. “After you ghosted me, I was hoping you’d become an actual ghost, and I’d never have to see you again.”
He exhales sharply and tugs on the workout shirt he’s wearing. “Come on, Anna. Don’t be like this.”
“Like what?” I say sharply.
He runs a hand through his light brown hair. “You’re kind of pissed, and to be honest, it’s not pleasant to deal with you when you’re like this.”
My mouth hangs open at his audacity.
“Let me get this straight. You ghost me after sleeping with me, and you’re annoyed?”
His gaze turns panicked as he glances around, then grabs my arm and leads me out of the main part of the fitness center, down the hallway toward the bathrooms.
“Jesus, Anna. Will you keep your voice down?”
I yank out of his hold. “Why? Because you’re embarrassed to be seen with me?”
He presses his eyes shut and pinches the bridge of his nose, leaning his head back in exasperation.
“No, it’s not like that,” he whispers sharply. “I’m not embarrassed, okay?”
All the frustration and hurt feelings from weeks ago resurface. Tears prick my eyes. “Then why? Why did you ghost me? Why did you even ask me out if your plan was to ditch me?”
“It’s complicated,” he says curtly.
“The only complicated part about us was that you’re a TA and I’m an undergrad. But we talked about that. We were both okay with that.”
I swallow back the ache in my throat, willing myself not to cry.
“Look, I thought we were having fun…” He trails off as the door to the women’s restroom opens. A tall, pretty woman with her long blonde hair in a ponytail walks out of the bathroom.
She beams at Colin and walks up to him. “Hey, baby,” she says in a sweet voice.
A sick feeling lands at the pit of my stomach as she slinks her arms around his waist. She kisses his cheek and smiles at me.
I don’t miss the stricken look on Colin’s face when he looks at her. He blinks it away and flashes a tight smile.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he says.
“I thought you were going to try and get us a squat rack,” she says sweetly.
“I was on my way over there, but I ran into one of my students.” He coughs. “Melody, this is Anna. Anna, this is Melody. My fiancée.”
I’m speechless as I shake her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she says.
I don’t speak. I don’t know what to say. I just stumble away, back down the hallway toward the main part of the fitness center.
I bump face-first into a brick wall of a chest. I glance up and see Travis staring down at me with his trademark hard expression. Except then he blinks, and I could swear I see a tingle of worry in his eyes when he looks at me.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“I’m fine,” I mutter.
“Why are you crying?”
I wipe the wetness from my cheeks with the sleeves of my shirt, just now realizing that I’m crying. I sniffle, feeling embarrassed and humiliated.
“I’m not.” I try to step around Travis, but he gently grabs my arm.
“You are. Anna, what’s wrong? Did that guy do something to you?”
I let out a sad, weak laugh. “Why do you care?”
His eyebrows crash together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I shake my head. I think about how curt he was after our hookup in the alley. How quickly he wanted to get away from me.
I think about how he ignored me while sitting next to me in the diner, how he ignored me again just a few minutes ago.
I think about how Colin ignored me. Because he’s engaged to another woman, and I was just a fun little distraction he kept on the side until he finally slept with me and lost interest.
I feel cold all over now. Numb. Unwanted.
I look up at Travis. “You don’t care about me. So stop pretending.”
I walk off and out of the building, managing to hold it together until I get to my apartment. Then I let myself cry.