Even an outsider could see how far Rodney had gone.
As the boyfriend who'd been with me for six years, did he genuinely not see it, or was he choosing not to?
Even now, with everything laid bare, Rodney kept his neck stiff and refused to apologize.
"Only Melissa's is a proposal ring. The one for Sophie just happens to look the same. It's not the big deal you're all making it out to be."
"Sophie is Melissa's best friend. I was only looking out for her feelings. How is that wrong?"
There was nothing left to fight about, and I was done fighting it.
I slid the diamond ring off my finger, pressed it into Rodney's hand, and walked straight out of the proposal.
If what he gave me was the same as what he gave someone else,
then I, Melissa Summers, didn't want it.
I took a cab straight home.
I hadn't been home long when Rodney and Sophie showed up behind me.
Sophie hovered in the doorway, timid, as if she didn't dare come in.
Rodney and I had gotten together freshman year of college. Sophie went back even further—she'd been my roommate.
Her family didn't have much. Her allowance was the smallest in the whole dorm.
For four years I covered the gaps for her out of my own scholarship and living money, and I'd often grab two meals in the cafeteria line so she'd have one too.
Back when Rodney and I were dating, Sophie tagged along everywhere as our little third wheel. Almost every date was the three of us.
After graduation, we all stayed and worked in Chicago.
I rented an apartment then, and knowing Sophie didn't have spare cash, I let her split it with me.
I say split, but in a city where a shared place ran two grand on average, I only took a token three hundred a month from her.
Then a year ago, Rodney bought a place, and we were getting ready to move in together.
Rodney waved it off with one grand gesture.
"Sophie should just move in with us. The place I bought is plenty big anyway."
"Melissa and I aren't even married yet. It won't be any trouble having you there."
"You two are so close, and you're just a young woman. Leaving you here on your own to rent—I'm sure Melissa wouldn't feel right about it either."
Sophie had looked at me too, all pitiful.
"Melissa, if you leave, I can't afford a place this expensive on my own."
I went soft and agreed to let Sophie move in for the time being.
I never imagined that the softness I showed back then would one day become the knife pointed at me.
When I said nothing, it was Rodney who cracked first.
"Melissa Summers, you're pretty pleased with yourself right now, aren't you? All those people taking your side."
"Really something, you are. You just had to make me lose face in front of that many people."
The whole night had left me worn down to nothing.
"I'm not the one who made you lose face."
"What you did made you lose face. Don't go dumping every mess on me."
Rodney's face went a little pale with anger.
"Everything I did, who was it for? Wasn't it for you?"
"You and Sophie are so close. Wasn't I just helping you look after her?"
"That's love me, love my dog! And you? Look at what you did tonight. So now I'm in the wrong for helping you?"
As Rodney and I kept escalating, Sophie edged forward, timid, and the moment she opened her mouth her eyes went red.
"Melissa, have you secretly resented me all along?"
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? If you had, I never would've stayed on here, freeloading."
I turned to look at her.
"I thought we were all adults."
What I meant was this.
Adults' lives each have their own boundaries.
I thought everyone understood that.
