November

Chapter Nineteen

-Oliver-

As my flight made its way from Washington to California, I spent the time thinking of Cooper and remembering how we met on a plane. I would have given anything to have him next to me, taking up too much space and letting me hold his hand when the plane took off. I looked at pictures from the trip, lingering on the ones of Cooper and I. All along I had been sharing pictures on social media, and I had more than one text asking who Cooper was. My friend Cameron was going to want to know all about it.

It was surreal landing back in California. The palm trees were nice, but I missed the dark green spires of the evergreen trees in Washington. The sun here seemed too bright after Washington's rain and clouds, and everything was loud and busy. It would take some getting used to after the quiet, laid back pace of the Olympic Peninsula.

I still had my key to Brad's condo, but it felt weird to use it now, so I knocked. I was hoping he wouldn't be home, but I knew there were a couple things we needed to talk about. He'd probably be glad to hear I wasn't going to stay for the month he'd given me to find a new place.

To my dismay, the door opened and I was faced with Brad standing there, impeccably dressed as usual. I felt my heart speed up at the sight, and I couldn't deny my attraction to him. I had so many mixed feelings about seeing him again, everything from sadness to anger to anxiety.

"Did you lose your key?" he asked.

"No, I have it. Just thought I'd knock instead of barging in."

Brad stepped back and held the door open. "How was your flight?"

"It was fine. And I'm planning on packing up my stuff and staying with Cameron until I find a new apartment."

Brad was silent as I left my bag by the door and went into the bedroom to start taking my clothes out of drawers and the closet. I didn't realize he had followed me, and it startled me when he spoke.

"I saw the pictures from the rest of your trip," he said, leaning against the doorway to the bedroom with his arms crossed. "Are you with that redneck now?"

I did my best to take a deep breath before I turned around and glared. "No. Cooper lives in Washington, so how could I be? And he's not a redneck. Don't call him that."

I began putting my stuff in piles, wishing Brad would leave. It was weird to be here with someone I had loved and shared my life with for two years. I hated that I was still attracted to him and that he still made me feel like I had something to prove.

"Look, Oliver..."

I turned again, and he was standing right in front of me, his expression serious. "Maybe we acted too rashly. I've had a lot on my plate with work lately, and the stress impacted my mood during our trip. I wasn't myself."

Confused, I stared at him. "What are you saying?"

"The week apart gave me time to think. I do love you, and I don't want to lose you. I think it'd be best if you didn't move out yet. I need to get through a couple of projects that are coming up, but then I'll have more free time. Time I can spend winning you back - taking you out to dinner, spending weekends in bed in different cities, going out to clubs like we used to."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, and a wave of anger washed over me. After everything Brad put me through, now he was going to toy with me like this? He expected me to come running back to him?

"Are you serious right now?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Like I said, I think we acted rashly."

"Not me, you! You broke up with me!" I yelled, losing my composure. I wasn't normally an angry person and I knew I was letting my emotions get the best of me, but I couldn't believe the nerve of Brad to act like this had been a mutual decision.