He Dropped Me at the Service Station to Take Her Home Chapter 10

He Dropped Me at the Service Station to Take Her Home Chapter 10

I turned twenty-three the year I officially graduated from Halewood University.

Poppy dragged her parents around campus for a tour right after our graduation photoshoot.

I headed back to the dormitory by myself.

I froze at the bottom of the dorm stairs.

Mom stood there holding a huge sunflower bouquet in her hands, wearing a floral sundress, her

hair freshly styled in a new perm.

She clutched the flowers awkwardly and took two small steps toward me.

“Did you finish taking all your graduation photos with your classmates?”

I nodded silently.

Mom glanced down at the bouquet, looking deeply uncomfortable, her voice stiff and awkward.

“Well, today’s your graduation day, so I wanted to stop by. I grabbed these flowers on the drive over, I’m not sure if they’re your style or not.”

I didn’t say a single word.

Years earlier, she would’ve blown up at me instantly, yelling about how ungrateful and rude I was.

Today she only laughed nervously.

“Ellie, do you want to ride back home with me tomorrow? I’ll make honey-glazed ribs, your

favorite dish.”

I stared down at my sneakers, my voice soft and quiet.

“I’ve already accepted a full-time job offer. I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”

Mom fell silent for a long stretch of time, then held the bouquet out toward me further.

“Take these flowers. I carried them all the way here,

I reached out and took the bouquet from her grasp.

“Ellie, Izzy was hospitalized a while back.”

“You’re her sister, you two share family-of course he’s looking out for her. If you have a spare minute sometime, give her a phone call.”

In that moment, I stared at her sweaty, pleading face, and a weight I’d carried for years finally loosened, settling quiet in my chest.

Maybe Mom did love me, in her own twisted, limited way.

But whatever small amount of love she held for me? Compared to how she doted on Izzy? It was

completely insignificant.

Still, I was fine with that truth. I planned to love myself fiercely enough to make up for every ounce of missing affection.

I promised Mom I’d give Izzy a call sometime.

She left with a satisfied, relieved expression.

I set the sunflower bouquet down by the dorm entrance door and prepared to walk upstairs, when I

heard his voice behind me.

“Ellie.”

I spun around in surprise.

He’d vanished from my daily life months prior; I’d assumed he’d finally given up completely.

He looked far more worn and exhausted than ever before, forcing a wobbly smile at me.

“Happy graduation, Ellie.”

I responded politely, distant. “You too.”

He stayed quiet for a beat, then spoke in a soft, fragile tone,

“Ellie, I’ve spent all these months thinking over every single thing I did wrong.”

He stared at me like he was gazing at a ghost, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“I know nothing I do can erase all the pain I caused you, yet I kept chasing you relentlessly anyway. You must be utterly sick of me.’

He tried to pull off his usual teasing grin, but tears spilled down his cheeks before the smile fully

formed.

“I just wanted to catch one quick glimpse of you on your graduation day. Then I’ll leave, and I won’t bother you ever again.”

I leaned against the dorm doorframe and watched him roughly wipe his tears away, then stumble

off into the distance quickly.

Poppy crept up beside me out of nowhere, nosy as always.

“Wait a second-was that Caspian?”

“Didn’t he fail enough senior credits to get held back a year?”

I blinked in shock.

Poppy shrugged her shoulders casually.

“He never finished his senior credit requirements, and his thesis was a total mess. The department told him he has to delay graduation for a full year.”

“Word got around that his parents cornered him in the campus parking lot yelling, and slapped him right there for everyone to see. The stable job his dad lined up for him got revoked entirely.”

Poppy stared at me and shook her head with a grin.

“Hey, wipe that smile off your face.”

I cleared my throat and lifted an eyebrow playfully.

“Me? I would never gloat over someone’s misfortune.”