I'll Be Seeing You

Twelve.

I woke the next morning to the sound of my phone ringing. It was Rene. Thankfully, it didn't wake Kasey, so I slipped quietly into the living room to answer. I knew I couldn't avoid Rene forever.

"Hey," I said softly.

"What the hell, Alyssa?" she yelled the second she picked up. "Where are you?"

"Where do you think I am, Rene?"

"Why did you leave? And why are you ignoring Mark? He's a nervous wreck!"

"Well, you've clearly talked to him. Didn't he tell you everything?"

"He did. And don't even get me started on the ring. We'll talk about that later. But right now, you need to go home and talk to him. This is crazy."

"Rene, he left. He ignored every single one of my texts and calls. He wouldn't even look at me."

"He was hurt, Alyssa. He loves you. And seeing her hurt you the way she did—it's killing him. Seeing that ring on your finger? It broke his heart."

"I didn't hide it from him, Rene. I just didn't have a chance to bring it up before he saw it."

There was a pause. "Are you seriously that blind?" she snapped. "Wow. You really don't see it, do you?"

"See what? I don't understand."

"I have to get back to work," she said, her voice suddenly tired. "But you need to go home. Please."

"I'll talk to you later," I muttered, ending the call.

I sat there for a minute, stunned. I didn't know what to do. Should I call Mark? Go over there? My head was spinning. Face-to-face confrontation wasn't exactly my strength, especially in situations like this. I felt torn—paralyzed, really.

I opened my messages and typed:

Me: I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm safe and not doing anything to hurt myself or overdo it.

A minute later, his reply came.

Mark: Alyssa, please come home. Please. I'm so sorry.

Me: I couldn't get all of my things at once, but I'll get the rest this week. I promise.

Mark: No! Please don't leave. Please. Come home. To our home. Please, Alyssa. I'm begging you. Come home and talk to me.

I stared at the screen for a long time before powering off my phone. My chest ached. I didn't expect him to beg. I thought this was the end—of everything. Our friendship, whatever fragile thing we had left. Now I didn't know what to think. I felt confused. Embarrassed. And completely lost.

I shuffled into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, trying to give my brain something, anything, to focus on. I needed clarity, and all I had was a thousand swirling thoughts and a sick feeling in my stomach. As I poured my first cup, Kasey's phone rang from the bedroom.

I heard the door to the spare room creak open, then footsteps down the hall. She unlocked her bedroom door and slipped inside, shutting it firmly behind her. That was... odd. I hadn't really seen her take phone calls before, so maybe that's just what she did—but it felt strange. I only came out here to avoid waking her up. If I'd wanted privacy, I would've stepped outside or gone for a walk. But locking the door to take a call?

My gut twisted, and not just from caffeine. I sat down at the table and waited for her to come out, but nearly an hour passed and she was still in her room. I could hear her talking, faintly—muffled words I couldn't quite make out. I didn't know who was on the other end of the call, and honestly, I already had enough on my plate. I didn't want to worry about whether or not she was hiding something.