Pucks and Pirouettes

Chapter 16 | Clarity or closure?

I had purposefully chosen the route past her house for my run. Right now, I wish I hadn't.

When I saw her coming out of her front door, my heart skipped a beat, but the smile that started tugging at the corners of my lips didn't even get to make an appearance when I saw him stepping out of the house behind her. Instead, my chest tightened.

Why was he here? Or, more specifically, why was he at her house?

I remembered Holly's message from earlier today.

Just some family friends coming over for lunch.

So that was who came over. Why didn't she just tell me?

I was a fool for thinking that nothing was going on between them anymore and that he would just magically vanish from her life.

Not when things only started happening between us a couple of days ago and not when he had his arm around her shoulder like this right now.

I locked eyes with her for a split second, but I could not read her expression. Too many emotions were written all over her face.

I shook my head at her lightly, trying to express whatever it was I wanted to tell her and headed off down the street.

I was glad to be running right now, releasing all of my hurt and anger every time my feet hit the concrete beneath me.

I didn't know how long I had been running, and I only stopped when my sides started stinging.

I came to a halt in the little park that I recognised was not too far away from my house and sat down on one of the benches.

I moved my hands to my hips, trying to catch my breath, but that plan was overthrown when the stinging sensation decided to move on towards my eyes, and I could feel the tears burning in them.

I knew it wasn't the mere fact that she was seeing someone else that got me. We weren't exclusive, or rather, we hadn't talked about that yet, but it was because it was him. Him of all people.

There were no words for him or the things he had done. And seeing her with him after it had been me and her, even if not for long, was just too much.

I must've been sitting on the bench for a while now, my thoughts and feelings all over the place, when my phone started ringing in my pocket.

I knew it was her even before I read the name on the display, and whether out of curiosity for her words or mere stupidity, I picked up.

"Hey.", it finally came from the other side of the line after my silence must've gotten too unbearable for her.

"Hey.".

"Can we talk?".

"Yeah, sure. Talk".

"I mean in person.".

There was a moment of silence, but I knew I had to say yes to her proposal. I needed answers, or rather, I needed clarity or closure.

"Sure, why don't you meet me in Greenhill Park? I'm here anyway.". 

"Oh, ok. Great. I'll be there as soon as I can.".

I cut the line and put my phone down on the bench next to me. 

It didn't take Holly long to get to the park, and soon, she sat down beside me.

"Hey.".

"Hey.".

"Look, I am sorry for not telling you that his family was coming over, and I am sorry for not saying something in the situation, but there are some things about my family that you need to understand in order to understand why I act the way I act sometimes.".