Since It’s Already Like This Chapter 01

Since It’s Already Like This Chapter 01

When Lowell pressed the elevator button for Mira’s floor for the ninety-ninth time, he shot me an irritated glance.

“Why didn’t you remind me? Forget it. Since we’re already here, I might as well help Mira change that lightbulb.”

I didn’t move. I just pulled at the corner of my mouth.

There it was again.

*Since we’re already here.*

Ever since Mira had moved in upstairs a year ago, Lowell was always pressing the wrong floor.

When we made plans to see a movie, he showed up at Mira’s door with the popcorn and Coke.

When I had a high fever and asked him to bring me medicine, he delivered it to Mira instead, because her period cramps were so bad she couldn’t get out of bed.

Our movie for two became a movie night for three. My fever reducers became her painkillers.

Even on my birthday, he stood outside Mira’s door with my cake.

“Since we’re already here, we might as well celebrate the one-year anniversary of you two meeting.”

“Since we’re already here, Mira’s sink is clogged. I’ll fix it for her.”

This time, I watched him walk straight into Mira’s apartment. I didn’t follow. I just pressed the elevator’s “close door” button.

…

He had already forgotten.

Today was the day my lease ended. The day I was moving out.

Since he was already here… he could just never come back.

…

When I got downstairs, the movers had already arrived.

“Ms. Hawthorne, are we ready to start?”

I nodded.

My phone buzzed. An iMessage from Lowell.

“Where did you go? Don’t wander off.”

I froze for a second.

In our chat history, almost every bubble was blue. Mine.

I started almost every conversation.

The sudden concern made my fingers hover over the screen.

But the moment I opened the chat, his next message popped up.

“Go to the hardware store on the corner and buy me a wrench. Mira doesn’t have one.”

I stared at the two lines of text for several seconds.

He hadn’t even noticed I didn’t follow him upstairs.

He only noticed I was gone when he needed an errand run.

I scrolled up through our messages. Almost every one of them had something to do with Mira.

“That skincare set your coworker brought back from Europe? Give it to Mira. I’ll get you something else.”

“Mira said she wants to try that new seafood restaurant downtown. We’ll go after you get off work. I already made the reservation.”

Lowell’s messages were always announcements.

He made the decisions. He never asked if I wanted to.