Chapter 2: The Words I Couldn’t Take Back
The drive home was silent.
Not peaceful silence.
The kind that feels like a storm waiting to break.
Wesley kept both hands on the steering wheel, staring at the road ahead.
I sat beside him, clutching my purse in my lap.
“Wesley,” I finally said.
Nothing.
“Please say something.””
His jaw tightened.
“I don’t know what to say.””
The answer hurt more than anger would have.
“I already explained what happened.””
“You explained that you didn’t know who he was.””
“Because I didn’t.””
“I believe that.””
I turned toward him.
“Then why do you sound upset?””
He exhaled slowly.
“Because my dad wasn’t upset that you didn’t recognize him.””
I looked away.
“Then what was he upset about?””
Wesley didn’t answer immediately.
That scared me.
“Corinne, what exactly did you say to him?””
I felt heat rise in my face.
“I told him the table was reserved.””
“Only that?””
I hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
Wesley noticed.
“What else?””
I stared out the window.
“I was frustrated.””
“That’s not an answer.””
I sighed.
“I said he shouldn’t assume he could sit anywhere just because he got there first.””
Wesley’s grip tightened.
“Anything else?””
I wanted to say no.
I wanted to pretend I remembered every word differently.
But I couldn’t.
“I said he needed to hear it.””
Wesley went quiet.
The streetlights passed across his face.
“I don’t understand.””
“What?””
“You’re usually not like that.””
The sentence hurt.
Because part of me knew it was true.
“I was embarrassed,” I said.
“You were embarrassed because I was late.””
“Yes.””
“And you took it out on someone else.””
I looked at him.
“That’s not fair.””
“Isn’t it?””
The question stayed between us.
When we reached my apartment, neither of us moved.
Finally, Wesley turned off the engine.
“I need some time.””
My heart dropped.
“Time?””
“To process tonight.””
“Wesley, this was a misunderstanding.””
He nodded.
“Maybe.””
The uncertainty in his voice terrified me.
I opened the door.
Before I stepped out, he spoke.
“My dad rarely gives people second chances.””
I turned around.
“I don’t need your father’s approval.””
Wesley looked at me sadly.
“That’s not what I’m worried about.””
“What are you worried about?””
He looked away.
“That maybe he saw something I haven’t.””
I walked into my apartment feeling like the entire evening had collapsed around me.
For hours, I replayed the conversation.
The stranger’s calm expression.
The disappointment in his eyes.
The way he said, “I hope Wesley knows how you speak to people when he isn’t around.””
At 1:13 a.m., my phone buzzed.
A message from Wesley.
I opened it immediately.
*We need to talk tomorrow.*
My stomach sank.
I typed back.
*About what?*
The three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally, a message came through.
*My father wants to meet you again.*
I stared at the screen.
That was not what I expected.
Before I could respond, another message arrived.
*But this time, he wants you to come alone.*
I sat up.
Alone?
Why?
A second later, another notification appeared.
This one wasn’t from Wesley.
It was from an unknown number.
The message contained only one sentence.
*Corinne, before you meet Sterling again, you need to know what he heard after you walked away.*
My hands went cold.
I stared at the screen.
May you like
Then another message appeared.
*Because it wasn’t just your attitude that concerned him.*
