Page 26 of Everything She Wanted

He takes a step away from me.

“Have you seen her since you broke up?” I glare up at him, accusation in every word.

“What? You’re being ridiculous,” he replies as he goes back to the food on the table and starts unpacking it.

“You know how hard I’ve been working for our future and how busy I’ve been.” I pause. Guilt floods my system for a moment before the anger flares up again.

“Yet somehow you found time to flirt with your ex.” My words are barely more than a whisper, but he freezes. I’ve never spoken back like this, but cheating is something even I won’t put up with.

He stares at me, his lips pressed into a thin line, and slams a container of curry into the wall. I flinch as the red sauce streaks down the wall and puddles on the hardwood, but I can’t bring myself to look away.

“Un-fucking-believable.” He comes toward me. My heart crawls up to my throat, and I inch back on the couch, hoping to disappear into the cushions.

“After everything I’ve done for you, that my parents have done for you, you say shit like this?” He holds me with his gaze. “Says a lot about you, doesn’t it? How insecure and disrespectful you are.”

I look at the floor, trying to hide how rattled I am.

The front door slams, and Dev walks into the room. His best friend and roommate. Usually I can’t stand the guy, but right now I am grateful he’s here.

“What the heck is going on? I could hear you from the street.” His hazel-brown eyes narrow in on me, like of course I’m the cause of this. He stares at me a moment longer with distaste before turning to Eshaan.

I grab my purse and push past him.

“It’s none of your business,” I say quietly, summoning some strength.

I get in the car and force myself to start driving, and it’s only when I’m a few blocks away that I park on a side street to regroup.

Maybe Rachel’s right. Things are moving too fast and I’m not sure I’m ready for all this. Maybe the texts were nothing, but how he reacted wasn’t okay.

I pull out my phone and scroll through my call history, finding my mom. I could explain to her that we just need to slow down, to delay the engagement for now and maybe do a simpler ceremony later. Everything is so over the top with the hall, outfits, decorations, and a guest list of hundreds. Do we really need all that to show our love and commitment?

I should have pushed back sooner on all of this, but now all my family back home know about us, and his enormous family here does too. My lip quivers as I think about breaking up. It would be so hard to move on from, especially since it wouldn’t just be a breakup—it’d be a broken engagement. I’d forever be marked as damaged goods, and this would mar my reputation worse than anything that happened with Sunny.

I want to call, but I pause—it’s close to 11 p.m. in Toronto. If I woke her, she wouldn’t be able to sleep after. I know how much she worries about me. My finger hovers over the call button when a message from Eshaan comes through.

Babe, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone off like that.

Come back please. Let’s talk about this.

I hold the phone in my hand, reading and re-reading the message, when two more pop up.

I only get like this when I really care, and you know how much I love you.

You’re the love of my life...

I sink back into my seat and let out a slow breath.

I’m being irrational, and I’m probably not thinking straight. Everyone’s always told me I’m too emotional and reactive. That’s all this is—me worrying over nothing.

My phone flashes with more texts, but I turn my phone on silent and throw it on the passenger seat.

I’ll let him squirm a little for a change.

It’s after five and the office is quiet. I decided to stay late so I wouldn’t have to deal with the rush-hour commute, but truthfully, I want to hide out in the office for as long as possible. I don’t want to face anything. Not that Shaan would be waiting for me, but still, work feels like my escape, and I need it after last night.

I leave my office and head to the kitchen to get a glass of cold water. My mind drifts back to everything that happened. I remember feeling small, insignificant, and stupid. The anger, guilt, and shame all mix inside of me, a formulation I’m deeply familiar with. Then something new: fear. Last night was nothing if not a sign to hit pause.

When my glass is filled to the brim, I turn off the tap and, still lost in my thoughts, turn around straight into Nick. The cup slips out of my grasp and shatters on the ground.