After I Walked Away

"Man, is Celeste still not here? The candles are almost burned out."

One of my friends, who'd helped set everything up for the occasion, approached me cautiously.

I looked around at the proposal I'd spent so much time planning. Rose petals covered the floor, and candles flickered all around us. What had seemed romantic hours ago now felt like it was mocking me for ever believing this night would happen.

I picked up my phone and called my girlfriend, Celeste Monroe, for the seventh time.

"The person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please try again later."

At the familiar automated message, I hung up and forced a bitter smile. "Here we go again."

No response to my texts. No answer to my calls. Just disappearing without a word.

By now, it was practically routine whenever Celeste and I had plans.

Obviously, her assistant, Grady Keller, had gotten himself into some kind of trouble again, and she'd dropped everything to help him.

I waved a tired hand. "Let's call it. You guys can go home."

I'd barely started sending everyone home when my phone suddenly rang.

Celeste.

My heart leaped. After all the times she'd disappeared on me, this was the first time she'd ever called me first.

She was late, and the proposal was already far from perfect, but none of that mattered. As long as she came.

"Celeste, where are—"

But the voice on the other end wasn't hers. It was Grady's, thick with irritation.

"Luca Reynolds, can you quit blowing up her phone? She's watching a movie with me. Seriously, how desperate can you get?"

My mind went blank.

A movie?

In seven years together, Celeste and I had never once gone to the movies. She was always too busy.

Busy with work. Busy entertaining clients. Busy with one obligation after another.

Even when I'd suggested going on one of her rare days off, she'd always said movies were a waste of time. If I had that much time to spare, she said, I should study the market and help take some of the pressure off her.

So it wasn't that she didn't have time. She just hadn't wanted to waste any of it on me.

I forced down the anger burning in my chest. "Put Celeste on the phone."

Grady gave a mocking laugh. "Wow. Bossy, aren't we? She's busy. I was thirsty, so I sent her downstairs to grab me a milkshake.

"Seriously, save yourself the trouble and take the hint. She's spending the rest of the day with me. She's not coming to see you.

"Oh, and I almost forgot. She bought me a new watch. It's gorgeous—"

I hung up before he could finish and blocked the number.

Even back in college, Grady had constantly used the excuse that he was a younger student who needed help studying to get Celeste to meet him.

After we graduated and started working, I'd thought things would finally go back to normal.