I listened to the elevator carry him down, and I thought of all the years before, all the times Christian had lied to me and left me behind for Stephanie's sake.
I never understood it. We were the ones who grew up together.
In preschool he was the one who pulled the blanket over me at nap time. In grade school he stood between me and anyone who picked on me. The week before our placement exams he copied out a whole notebook of notes for me.
The years between us were so much longer than the years between them. But in his heart the weight of it fell the opposite way.
I thought of Stephanie too, sitting across from me with a latte in her hands, swearing it to my face:
"Mira, I knew ages ago that you liked Christian! And honestly, I don't like him at all. How could I ever want someone you want? Don't worry. I'll get him for you."
Pushing through the cramps, I grabbed my keys and went downstairs.
The rain was so heavy I could barely see the road; the wipers were on full and the windshield was still a blur.
From a distance I saw it. Christian's car parked outside Stephanie's building, hazard lights blinking.
The two of them were standing in the rain, soaked through.
Stephanie tipped her face up. "Tonight's the last time you'll ever come for me, isn't it?"
Christian didn't answer. But he didn't shake his head either.
"Christian, does your hand hurt?"
"I'm used to it."
"But I'm not used to it. Alone in London, my heart hurt so much. Do you know why I went abroad? Because of Mira. She liked you, she liked you so much. She was my best friend. So I chose to step aside for her."
Rainwater ran down the line of his jaw. His voice came low. "Then why did you come back?"
Stephanie leaned in a little, her forehead resting against his shoulder.
"Because I couldn't let go. And you? Have you let go? Or are you still hating me?"
The wind blew the rain in at a slant. Christian raised his hand to her soaked back,
lowered his head, his chin against the wet crown of her hair.
"Stephanie, you know it. Hating you is the one thing I'll never be able to do."
They held each other tight in the rain, as if the whole world for each of them was the other.
Stephanie lifted her head, and her gaze cut through the curtain of rain and met mine.
Those beautiful eyes filled slowly with shock, then with tears, then with apology.
A long moment passed before her lips moved.
"I'm sorry."
Three words, and the rain swallowed most of them.
But I saw it clearly.
So from the very start, the two people I had treasured had only ever used me as a stepping stone in their long, tangled history.
The tears came, and at the same moment the umbrella slipped from my hand.
The long black umbrella hit the puddle with a sound.
Christian turned his head, Stephanie still in his arms.
The rain split us into two halves.
His expression froze on his face.
"Miranda——"
