Four People. Three Clay Figures. I Stopped Being The One Left Out Chapter 07

Four People. Three Clay Figures. I Stopped Being The One Left Out Chapter 07

Day three at the new job. I saw damon outside the office building.

He stood in the rain. Half his shirt soaked through.

When he saw me, he walked over fast.

“Blair.”

I stopped.

He looked like he had a lot prepared to say.

But when he actually stood in front of me, only one line came out.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I did.”

His face stiffened.

“I saw the group message later.”

“Mm.”

I walked around him toward the subway.

He followed.

“Come back with me. We’ll redo the figures.”

“We can rebook the clay piece.”

“You want to see the kiln fire. I’ll take you every year from now on.”

I pressed the elevator button.

“Damon. I’ve already seen it.”

“But i wasn’t there.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

The doors slid open.

He blocked them with his hand. Voice dropped.

“How can it not matter?”

“Because i don’t need you there anymore.”

His hand froze against the door.

For ten years, i’d waited for him. Waited for him to get off work.

Waited for a reply. Waited for him to keep a promise he’d made offhand.

But after actually leaving, i realized.

Most things, i could do alone.

Without them, life didn’t stop.

Just got quieter.

Damon moved to step in. I looked at him.

“This is my office.”

He pulled his hand back.

“Then i’ll wait downstairs.”

“Don’t.”

“I just want to talk.”

“We broke up.”

His face went white.

“I didn’t agree.”

“Breakups don’t need your agreement.”

The doors closed in front of him.

After overtime, i left through a different exit. Ran into adrian at the corner.

He held a cake. The one i used to like.

“Birthday limited edition. I waited two hours.”

“I don’t eat that flavor anymore.”

His smile froze.

“You used to love it.”

“That was when i was seventeen.”

At seventeen, i said i liked chestnut cake.

Every year after, he bought the same one.

He never noticed i’d developed an allergy.

Never noticed i’d stopped touching nuts altogether.

He remembered the old blair.

The one who, no matter how many times she was overlooked, still followed behind them.

Adrian lowered his hand.

“I’m sorry.”

“Last year, jingdezhen. I lied to you.”

“This time too. I saw vivian take your figure. I didn’t stop her.”

I nodded. Calm.

“I know.”

“When did you know?”

“When she wrote her name.”

His throat moved.

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

I looked at him.

“If i had, would you have given it back?”

He opened his mouth. No sound.

No.

Back then, all he would’ve done was tell me to be sensible.

Not to ruin the mood.

Adrian dropped the cake in a trash bin. His eyes reddened.

“Blair. I can change.”

“Give me one chance.”

“Back then, when people bullied you, i was the one who protected you.”

“We’ve known each other twenty years. You can’t throw that away over a few-”

“Not a few.”

I cut him off.

“A lot. You just never remembered.”

I remembered every swapped seat.

Every message that got no reply.

Every time they turned to comfort vivian and told me to wait.

Those things were small to them.

So they forgot fast.

To me, they were being abandoned. Again and again.

“Adrian.”

I said his name.

“What you miss isn’t me.”

“It’s the person who would never leave you.”

I turned. Walked into the crowd.

This time, no one followed.