Stray
Chapter 1
If: a two-letter word for futility. What if nothing had ever happened? What if I still felt safe? What if we were still together?
"Baby, are you alright?"
Marissa snapped out of her reverie but didn't turn her head. The silent tears streamed down her face and stained the pillow beneath her.
"Baby?" the voice queried again, with more caution this time. "Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of it. Baby?"
She turned over and wiped a tear from her cheek. As she looked at him, she saw not his face but Ryan's. It loomed in front of her like an apparition, a ghostly image from her past. She leaned forward to grab it but he mistook it as her forgiveness. Marissa sobbed harder as his arms held her in his hollow embrace.
"… And, buddy, I'm telling you, this chick was damn fucking amazing."
"Hmm… Really." It wasn't a question. "So when do I get to met this so-called amazing woman of yours? Or do you have to find her first?"
The rest of the guys in break room laughed and snickered while Ryan watched from his corner. He continued.
"Honestly, though, if she was so perfect and 'fucking amazing' in bed, you'd be tired out right now. Right?"
As the other guys teased and mocked in unison with Ryan's taunts, he shut his mouth. I had someone absolutely amazing, he thought, the voice in his head sounding distant, but much nearer than the laughter in the room. But I have Kelly now, so it doesn't matter anymore. It's not supposed to.
"Hey, Atwood. Your cell's ringing. You gonna answer it?"
He looked lost for a moment then he felt hopeful. Getting up quickly, he answered it in the hallway.
"Maris—"
"Ry, I have to cancel dinner tonight." The loud interruption covered his anticipation and disappointment
"Oh."
"Is that alright, honey? Because if you really want to go, I'll cancel this thing that just came up. I mean, they did fly in from Rome to meet with us, and the sooner the better and everything—"
"Kel, it's fine. I'll just stay home. Or go out with some of the guys. I can entertain myself." His tone was flat and dry. He was still thinking about Marissa and how much he would've loved it to be her soft voice answering him instead of the high-pitched yammering he was enduring now.
"… And I should be home by then because I have to go to the office tomorrow anyway. Alright, I have to go now. I love you."
Ryan just closed his cellphone.
"Is it really necessary that I go, Sum?"
"Coop, you've been miserable these last few weeks. It's starting to cramp on my style, and I say that out of love and ultimate care for you, sweetie. Going to this will not, and I repeat, will not kill you."
Marissa looked down to her lap at the invitation. It was thick, cream coloured paper typed in fancy, scrawled font.
"Summer, has it really been fifteen years?"
The voice on the other line sighed and the sound echoed through the empty kitchen. "Yes, it has, Coop. I'm glad they didn't choose to hold it at the twenty year mark. I'd probably be shelling out thousands, no, millions, on plastic surgery just to look better than I did back then."
Marissa laughed then stopped. She hadn't laughed freely in a long time. "Do you think…"
"He lives too far away, Coop. From what I've heard, he's living in the East Coast now. He made it big in architecture and married some other top notch business broad."
"Yeah, you're right," Marissa conceded with as little disappointment as possible. " Maybe I will go. I wonder if Chris can take the time off."
"Uh, hon, did you read you invitation?" Summer's uncertainty made Marissa's eyebrows raise.
"What do you mean?" She held up the invitation and re-read it quickly.
"It says that you can only bring you. And only you."
She swallowed. That meant she'd have to face Ryan. Alone. In a room full of people she thought she had left behind.