Chapter 27
Ispent my first night back in Charleston at my parents’ house. We were all too tired to unload things, and I wasn’t exactly ready to sleep at Ethan’s— my place yet.
I wake early the next morning, drive over to Mom’s bakery to pick up an assortment of muffins—blueberry, chocolate, and an almond-poppyseed for Dad. Once I have the muffins, I head next door to grab coffee for the three of us.
I’m lost in my thoughts, waiting in line to order coffee, when a familiar voice cuts in, “Kat?”
Shaking my head to clear the fog, I say, “Chris. Hey!”
“You ok?” His brow is furrowed.
“Were you talking to me for a while?”
“Not a while,” he chuckles. “But long enough, I could tell you were in your own bubble.”
“Sorry about that. A lot is going on, and my head is a bit messy right now.”
“Want to talk about it?”
I laugh uncomfortably. “I’m moving back to Charleston. Well, moved back. Last night, actually. I’m picking up breakfast for my parents and me before we head over to my new place to unload some stuff from my dad’s truck.”
“Kat, that’s amazing!” Chris’s face beams in excitement. “Do you want any help? I’m free all day.”
“Um,” I rub my neck, “there isn’t much to move.” His face drops as I’m speaking, so I hurry and add, “we were supposed to meet up for lunch or something over Christmas, and I know things got busy. I won’t have things settled enough to cook dinner tonight. Do you want to get pizza?”
“Definitely,” he perks back up. “Do you want to come to my place? Or I can pick you up, and we can go out.”
“How about we go out. You choose where?”
“Perfect. Text me the address, and I’ll pick you up around 6?”
“Sounds great. See you then!”
We part ways, and I head back to my parents’ house. I’m excited to hang out with Chris. He was always fun to be around, and he treated Sophie very well.
Sophie and Chris were never a great match, and when they broke up, they stayed friends for a long time. I make a mental note to text Sophie and talk to her about going out with Chris.
Shit, this isn’t a date, is it?
That’s something I should have cleared up with him before he walked out. I’m sure he knows. I hope.
The thought that Chris might think this is a date causes a gut-wrenching feeling of guilt.
Sam and I have been getting closer, especially after what happened over Thanksgiving, and then our call yesterday. We live so far apart, and it's not like we’ve made any commitments to each other.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t have feelings for Sam.
I’ve always had feelings for Sam.
I can’t dwell on what might be or could be. So, I shove my conflicted feelings down and vow to try to make the most out of whatever tonight is with Chris.
***
My parents and I eat the muffins and drink our coffee before heading over to Ethan’s— my place.
We spent a couple of hours unloading boxes from Dad’s truck and clothes from my car.
While dad picks up sandwiches for lunch, Mom and I relax on the couch.
Looking around, I see pieces of Ethan, from the large abstract painting over the couch to the fake potted plants on the built-in shelves.
I don’t know how I’ll ever remove all these remnants of Ethan without feeling like I’m throwing him away.
“You ok, pretty girl?” Mom’s voice breaks my contemplation.
“Yeah.” The word is little more than an automatic response. But then I look at her, and the confession sits on the tip of my tongue. “All of this is a little… strange. I keep looking around this place, and it’s nice, but—” I pause, searching for the right words.
“But?” Mom encourages. She’s lounging on the couch facing me, with her knee propped onto the couch, and her arm dangling along the back. I adjust my position so I’m facing her.
“This is Ethan’s place. The place he chose. It has all his furniture in it.” My voice cracks a little, and I swallow the lump in my throat. “I’m so grateful to be able to live here. It’s just going to take some time, I think, to settle in and feel like I’m not intruding on his space.”
“You know you don’t have to stay here, right?
” Her expression is soft as she looks at me.
“If it doesn’t feel right, you can live at home.
” I fiddle with my fingers as she speaks.
“We can sell this place, and you can use the money to buy something else.” Her voice is shallow, like selling this place is the last thing she wants to do, but I know she doesn’t want to make it feel like she’s forcing this on me.
It’s not. I don’t feel like it's being forced on me.
“I know, Ma.” I place my hand on her arm in a reassuring way. “I think having some of my stuff mixed in will help it feel more like my home. I’m also a little nervous about living by myself. I went from living with you all to living with a roommate in school to living with Liv.”
“It’s a lot of transition at once, I suppose.” She looks around before speaking again, “You should get a cat to keep you company.”
“That’s a great idea! I should get a couple of cats. Kittens. That way, they’ll like each other,” I laugh. I’m not going to get a cat.
After lunch, my parents head back to their house, leaving me alone. It’s still a few hours until Chris picks me up, so I decide to start unpacking.
I connect my phone to the Bluetooth speaker system that Ethan had installed—there are speakers in every room—put on my favorite playlist, and grab a box labeled “Clothes.” I set the box on the bed in the primary room and walk over to the closet, opening it only to realize Ethan’s clothes are still hanging up.
I don’t have the mental capacity to go through his things right now, so I shut the closet doors, pick up my box, and head to the guest room. I open the closet; I’m relieved to find it empty.
This will have to do until I’m ready.
I make easy work unloading my clothes, one box at a time.
Britney Spears’ Work Bitch, playing through the speakers, is interrupted by an incoming call.
Thankfully, my phone is in my back pocket, so I don’t have to search for it. I answer it as soon as I see Sam’s name on my screen.
“Hey, hang on. I need to connect this to my headphones.” I hurry into the living room where I left my purse and rummage through it until I find my headphones.
Once they’re situated and connected, I turn my focus back to Sam.
“Sorry about that. I know this is a first-world problem, but I can’t handle holding my phone to my ear. ”
Sam’s lighthearted chuckle makes me smile. “You’re such a princess at heart.” He laughs again. “So, are you all settled in?”
“Settled? Not exactly. But I unpacked my clothes.”
“Whoa, slow down there, tiger. You don’t want to overwork yourself.” I can hear the smile in his voice. I wish I could see him.
“You're in a good mood.”
“I’m always in a good mood when I talk to you, Kitty Kat.”
“Whatever. What did you do today?” I sit down on the couch and prop my legs on the coffee table.
“I slept in, got some tea, and went grocery shopping. I just finished at the gym, and now, I’m relaxing. I have a few minutes before I need to leave to meet up with some friends for a movie and dinner, and I wanted to hear your voice.”
I smile at his words. “Slept in? You heathen! I ran into Chris this morning while I was grabbing muffins, and he’s picking me up later to go to dinner.”
I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth; I try to recover by quickly asking, “What movie are you going to see?”
“Kat I—” His voice is tight, strangled, and he sighs audibly. “I hope you have a great time with Chris. You deserve to have a great night out. Sorry, I just remembered I told Clive I would pick him up, so I need to leave early. Have a great night.”
The shift in his tone is so significant that I feel it in my bones. I want to do anything to change it back to what it was at the beginning of this conversation.
“Sam. What’s—”
“I’ll text you tomorrow. Good night, Kat.” And the line goes dead.
“What the fuck?” I’m left stunned.