16
“Protecting me?” I scoffed, barely
suppressing my urge to throw my drink in his
face.
Was he dreaming?
Jesse didn’t answer my question. He leaned
in, whispering, “I knew you’d come. I wanted
to…”
He hesitated.
I was curious about his first sentence.
He knew I’d come.
He was involved in this celebration.
Seeing his hesitation, I asked, “Jesse, do you
want to go back to the past?”
His eyes lit up with anticipation.
く
I smiled, then threw my drink in his face.
Jesse’s reputation would plummet. He’d lose
clients.
But what did his losses matter to me?
I said coldly, “You don’t miss me; you miss
the sparkling you in my eyes.”
I put down my glass and wiped my fingers.
“Stop disgusting me, Jesse.”
I turned to leave. Sam followed.
Passing Jesse, he threw his drink in his face.
“Since you have so many other options, don’t
expect a pearl,” he added.
Jesse said nothing,
Standing there,
Like a wet dog.
Sam took me for a drive. I raised my arms,
embracing the night, a new me.
Night is not the source of pain.
It’s the people who refuse to see themselves
clearly.
