Page 63 of Your Love

“This isn’t the way I wanted to see you again. You have to know that.”

He stops and wipes the sweat from his brow with his forearm, revealing the lines of tension etched into his face. “What I know, Kerri,” he continues, “is that I haven’t heard from you for years. We broke up, and I get that. But I thought we promised always to be friends.” He shrugs. “I guess I was wrong.”

I let out a heavy sigh, my head shaking in defeat. This isn’t the time or place for this conversation. “Are you going to be here all weekend?”

He offers a slight nod, his eyes downcast. “Yeah, I am. Your grandparents mean a lot to me, and this farm has become like a second home.”

My mind races with questions for him, but he doesn’t owe me any answers. The familiar grounds of the farm are suddenly foreign to me. Tears threaten to spill from my eyes as I struggled to process his presence.

“I’m sorry I bothered you. They didn’t tell me you’d be here.”

His response is sharp and emotionless, “I asked them not to.”

Confusion and hurt wash over me. “I don’t understand.”

“Because it’s none of your business anymore,” he states coldly, his tone like ice cutting through the air.

The words catch in my throat as I look at him, trying to read the emotions behind his stoic expression. “Well, I’m back now,” I say softly. “I graduated. I’m officially done with my undergraduate work and will be spending the next four years here doing my postgraduate studies. It looks like I’m going to be a veterinarian, after all.”

A flicker of emotion crosses his face before it settles back into its unreadable state. “Congratulations,” he says, though his tone remains flat. “I’m sure you worked really hard to reach this point.” His eyes meet mine for a moment before flicking away, and I can sense a mounting tension between us that wasn’t there before.

My head nods in agreement, but words seem to escape me. The old us would have been swept up in a hug by now, overflowing with joy and relief at our reunion. But this is not the old us. These are two strangers standing awkwardly before each other, separated by a thick veil of tension and anger. I am at a loss for how to bridge the gap between us.

“I understand that you’re angry,” I finally manage to say. “And you have every right to be. But we need to have a conversation about all of this at some point. Especially if we’re going to continue seeing more of each other.” The words echo with unspoken apologies and pent-up emotions.

“Or we could simply brush it off,” he says, a casual shrug of his shoulders betraying the weight of his words. “Let bygones be bygones.”

My blood boils at his nonchalant attitude towards the memories we’ve shared and the time we’ve invested in each other. We’re not going to act as if they hold no value or significance.

“No!” I shout, my fists clenching at my sides. “We will not sweep this under the rug like it means nothing.”

His gaze lingers on me with indifference, as if I am just another passing figure in his life.

“Right now, I’ll give you your space,” I state coolly, “but eventually, Landry, we’re going to have to face the fact that I’m back in Merrimack.” With that, I turn on my heel and exit the barn, leaving us both to process our words.

As I exit the barn, my body trembles with a mixture of emotions—anger simmering beneath sadness and anxiety churning with regret. I’m painfully aware that this is my fault. I was the one who walked away, leaving the weight of our relationship on my shoulders. But life became chaotic, and I never intended to neglect him. It doesn’t matter what I meant to do, though. The fact is that I asked for a guarantee that we’d always be friends, and he readily gave it. To him, it probably seems like I threw it away. No matter how many times I apologize, it doesn’t change the fact. But now I’m back, and I’ll work as hard as necessary to make things right.

Ivy’s blue eyes glisten with worry as she leans forward, asking, “Then what happened?”

My shoulders rise and fall in a nonchalant shrug. “I walked out. What else could I do?”

Sascha interjects, her tone filled with surprise and disbelief. “Damn. I’ve never seen Landry like that. I can’t imagine him being that pissed.”

I furrow my brows in confusion. “He wasn’t like that when I left?”

Sascha dips a french fry into the ketchup and takes a bite before answering. “Nah. He was sad but not angry.”

Ivy nods in agreement and adds, “Time has a way of bringing anger to the surface.”

I turn to Sascha and ask, “He never said anything to you?” She shakes her head, her expression apologetic. “We never really talk about you...not that I see him that often these days. With school and everything…”

Resting my chin on my hand, I remark, “That’s true. It’s pretty crazy, isn’t it? Here we are, all single while Sarah is getting married soon.”

Ivy lets out a small sigh, shaking her head in disbelief. “Definitely not how I envisioned things working out.” She nudges Sascha playfully, adding, “But then again, I also never expected to be kidnapped or for you to hook up with Michael Tazman,” she says with a laugh.

Sascha rolls her eyes but joins in on the laughter. “Hey, leave me out of this!”

We all share a chuckle before I add, “But seriously, though, who would have thought I’d end up with temporary amnesia that would completely upend my life?”