\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla's voice had lost its usual confidence.<\/p>\n
Andrew stood on the opposite side of the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll nearby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've been looking for apartments for me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRooms,\u201d he corrected. \u201cNot apartments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her thumb moved rapidly across the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long have you been doing this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA few days.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've been planning this behind my back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmanda?\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing at first.<\/p>\n
She looked between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you seriously letting him do this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew answered before I could.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm not doing anything to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're telling me to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what does this mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means you've been staying here temporarily, and I've been looking for options for when you're ready to have your own place.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed once, but there was no humor in it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're throwing me out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmanda and I invited you to stay until you got back on your feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm not back on my feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't have a job.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't have money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now you're giving me a deadline?\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one is throwing you out.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are there rooms on his phone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause temporary has to mean something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I wore a towel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved the toast away from the burner before it burned.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I asked you not to do something in my home, and you decided you were entitled to an explanation before respecting my answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
She tightened the towel around herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo this is punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I wanted to punish you,\u201d I said, \u201cI'd make you keep eating Andrew's cereal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew looked offended.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's unnecessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite everything, I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Kayla didn't.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am heartbroken.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have nowhere to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you're telling me to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm telling you that we need a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Andrew.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n
He lifted his coffee.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've been acting like I'm some kind of threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou leave every time I walk into the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time, I left because it was awkward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I leave because I'm not participating.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cParticipating in what?\u201d<\/p>\n
He set down his mug.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour experiment.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think this is an experiment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou called it one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was testing something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted me to react. You wanted to see whether I would respond to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn't trying to seduce you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what's your problem?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kept trying to turn me into evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
She frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvidence of what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever conclusion you're trying to reach.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said nothing.<\/p>\n
Andrew continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted me to fail so you could point at the failure and say, \u2018See? This is what men are like.\u2019 Or maybe you wanted me to pass so you could tell yourself something else. Either way, you were making me responsible for proving something to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't know anything about me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I know what happened every morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou walked into the kitchen dressed in a way Amanda had specifically asked you not to dress. I left. You watched me leave. Then you did it again the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice remained calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I stopped giving you the reaction you were looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla's eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think you're clever.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I should have handled this differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought staying out of it meant leaving you to deal with your sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked back at Kayla.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that wasn't staying out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI left you standing here every morning enforcing a boundary that involved both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn't expect that.<\/p>\n
Andrew continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our home. Our kitchen. Our marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I let you carry the uncomfortable part alone because I thought I was avoiding the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt the anger in my chest loosen.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should have told me you were looking at rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla threw her hands up.<\/p>\n
\u201cFantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
We both looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow you're having a marriage breakthrough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I please get dressed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She turned toward the stairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cKayla.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of those rooms is available this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already made an appointment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI found the listing,\u201d Andrew said. \u201cAmanda contacted the owner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't have to decide today.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
She seemed less angry now and more frightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't move out right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't even know where I'm going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you doing this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I don't want you staying here indefinitely while we pretend that's a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're giving up on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm trying to help you become independent again.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked down.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
Then she walked upstairs.<\/p>\n
The room went quiet.<\/p>\n
Andrew exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think you were right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe needs a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
That afternoon, Kayla and I went to see one of the rooms.<\/p>\n
Andrew stayed home.<\/p>\n
I thought that was important.<\/p>\n
This needed to be a conversation between sisters, not a confrontation between Kayla and the man she had been trying to test.<\/p>\n
The room was small but clean. A narrow bed stood against one wall. There was a desk beneath the window and a closet barely large enough for two suitcases.<\/p>\n
Kayla stood in the doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven't even seen the bathroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already hate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
She walked inside anyway.<\/p>\n
She opened the closet.<\/p>\n
She looked at the window.<\/p>\n
She sat on the edge of the bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
I told her.<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't afford that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe'll keep looking.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really aren't kicking me out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why bring me here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause someday you will leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I want that day to be because you're ready, not because everything explodes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She rubbed her hands together.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't want to be dependent on you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don't make yourself dependent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think Eric knew I'd end up like this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just keep thinking he must have known something about me that I don't.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat beside her.<\/p>\n
\u201cKayla, what did he actually say when he ended things?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he didn't want our life anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's all?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo affair?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why have you been acting like you need to catch someone doing something?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I let the question remain.<\/p>\n
On the drive home, she barely touched her phone.<\/p>\n
She opened the rental listing.<\/p>\n
Closed it.<\/p>\n
Opened it again.<\/p>\n
Then she locked the screen and stared through the windshield.<\/p>\n
About halfway home, I finally asked the question that had been sitting in my throat since the first towel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you need Andrew to fail?\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn't answer.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
She looked out the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Eric didn't cheat on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned my head slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was barely audible.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't hit me. He didn't steal money. There wasn't another woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The traffic light ahead turned red.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
Kayla rubbed her thumb over the edge of her phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody keeps waiting for me to tell them what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd there isn't anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just didn't want me anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d Kayla's voice had lost its usual confidence. Andrew stood on the opposite side of the counter. \u201cThree rooms.\u201d She stared at the screen. \u201cAll nearby.\u201d \u201cYou've been … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sharestory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3730"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3742,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3730\/revisions\/3742"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}