Page 106 of PS: I Hate You
I’ve spent enough of my younger years using the perfect example of Rosaline to pick myself apart. I don’t want to see the look in people’s eyes as they do the same and find me wanting.
I turn to stare out the window and try to ignore the queasy feeling in my gut.
Dom doesn’t let go of my hand until he parks in the designated parking garage. He doesn’t try to reclaim it as we make our way toward the stadium. Not that he should.
Friends don’t walk around holding hands.
We find the Perry parents and they both claim hugs from me,thanking me for coming so far. I shrug, guilty, telling them I regret missing the twins’ high school graduation.
The one Josh attended.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and a quick check shows me Pamela’s name. I ignore it, but a second later, the phone starts ringing again.
Shit. Shit shit shit.
I told her about this trip, but said I’d be available if needed.
Why? Why didn’t I just say I’d be out for two days?
“I’m going to go to the bathroom real quick.” I throw a thumb over my shoulder and Emilia promises they’ll wait for me. Dom’s eyes drop to my buzzing pocket, and I turn before he sees the mortified flush that overtakes my face. I feel like he knows I’m sneaking off to the bathroom to take a work call.
He was the one to find me in the janitor’s closet.
That feels like forever ago. But also, kind of like it was yesterday.
Josh has been gone for over a year.
I press my hand against my twisting stomach and try to think about why Pamela would be calling me instead.
Ten minutes later, after sitting in a not particularly clean bathroom stall and talking my boss through where a certain dataset was stored, I jog back to where I split off from the Perrys, worried I took too long and they left to find seats without me.
A sigh of relief gusts out of me when I spot Dom’s handsome head above the crowd, but then the people in front of me part and I tense up.
Another person has joined the group in my absence.
Rosaline smiles up at Dom as he says something to her. The woman looks stunning in a flowing blue dress that brushes the tops of her knees. Her russet hair falls in beautiful silky waves down her back, and with a set of heeled sandals, she’s the perfect height for Dom to not have to crane his neck to talk to her.
She chuckles at something he says, and I close my eyes briefly because, damn it, even her laughter is stunning.
How could he not love this woman anymore?
After dragging in a deep breath and blinking my eyes open again, I approach the group, feeling like my footsteps clomp loudly on the cement floor.
“Maddie!” Emilia says. “There you are. Thought we’d lost you.”
“Sorry. Long line.” I give a vague wave toward the bathroom.
Dom’s mom chuckles in understanding. “Well, now we’re all here. Thank you both again for coming.” She shares a smile between Rosaline and me. “After everything…” Emilia clears her throat, eyes glassy. “Well, I just don’t want us to pass out of each other’s lives.”
My throat is thick as I try to swallow. Her sentiment is genuine, and I wish there wasn’t a twisted part of me that is unhappy to find out that despite the divorce, Dom’s ex still gets along with her in-laws.
Are they just waiting for the two of them to patch things up?
I might need to go back to the bathroom and vomit.
“Hi, Maddie. I love your dress.” Rosaline stares down at me with a small smile, her eyes wide and sincere.
And that’s one of the many problems with her.