Chapter 6: Wine And Words

I stood in the living room, arms wrapped around myself, and stared at the roses on the side table. They were a perfect deep red, the petals tight and unbruised, the card attached with the little silver clip. Happy Anniversary. Nick had brought them home from work earlier tonight and set them there himself, proud and a little nervous, the way he always got when he was trying to do something right. I smiled, kissed him, and told him they were beautiful. Now the room was quiet, and the roses looked like they did not belong.

Ryan had just stepped outside to talk to Roxie, and when he returned, he poured two glasses of wine, handed me one, and told me to drink. “It’ll help,” he had said. “You’ve had a long night. You need to breathe for a minute.”

I had taken it because my hands needed something to do. The first sip had burned. The second had been easier. We had sat on the couch. Not touching. Just close enough to feel his warmth beside me. I had stared at the roses on the table and tried to make the evening make sense. It would not.