Deboned Fish for Her, Left No Room for Me Chapter 06

Deboned Fish for Her, Left No Room for Me Chapter 06

I heard later that Keaton went still.

A little of the drink in his hand spilled over the rim, but he did not even look down.

For once, the man who always looked in control seemed caught off guard.

“What are you talking about? Why would she go to Cypress Harbor?”

The old classmate pulled out his phone and showed him my Instagram.

“Marlow posts about her life in Cypress Harbor all the time. It’s actually pretty interesting.”

“You guys… haven’t seen it?”

Keaton’s face darkened.

He had muted my posts a long time ago because he thought I posted too much.

Cecily gripped his arm, worry filling her eyes.

“Marlow must still be mad. She probably ran off to Cypress Harbor to make a point.”

“We should go get her and bring her back.”

Keaton’s expression turned even colder.

“No. Marlow is waiting for us to crawl back first.”

“Let her mess around. She’s too naive to last long in a city like Cypress Harbor. Once things get hard, she’ll

come back.”

Keaton went to work like usual.

The only difference was that he checked his phone a lot more often.

One afternoon, while he waited for coffee in the break room at work, he opened my Instagram again without

thinking

Two women nearby were whispering office gossip.

“Marla from accounting started seeing someone new a month after she and Beck broke up.”

“They’d been broken up that long it’s not that weird”

“A month isn’t even that fast.”

The two women lit up when Keaton, who rarely spoke to anyone, suddenly joined in.

“Exactly. Especially when they’re living in different cities. Someone else was bound to make a move.”

Keaton’s mouth tightened.

He said a quick apology and went to the stairwell to call me.

I had just finished a project, and my manager had praised me and said I was getting a raise.

I returned to my desk feeling like I could finally breathe.

Then Keaton’s name kept flashing on my phone.

Confused, I picked up.

“Marlowe, quit your job in Cypress Harbor. Now.”

We had not seen each other in a month.

t was the first thing he said to me.

asual. Arrogant. Deep down, he still looked down on me.

I forced down my anger and answered politely.

“Keaton, I like my current job. I’m not quitting.”

He went silent for two seconds.

Then he suddenly laughed.

“Marlowe, do you know what you sound like? A spoiled child.”

“You ran off to Cypress Harbor without telling anyone because you wanted my attention, right?”

“Congratulations. You got it.”

“Come to Hartwick now, or go back to Greyford. Then maybe we still have a chance to get back together.”

My hand tightened around my phone until my fingers turned white.

Anger shot through me.

“Keaton Stroud, the day I said we were done, I never once thought about getting back together.”

“Marlow, you’re upset. You’re not thinking straight.”

“We’ll talk in a few days.”

He hung up.

A tissue appeared in front of me.

My coworker, Rilla Somers, looked at me with concern.

“Wipe your face.”

I touched my cheek.

My fingers came away cold and wet.

After thanking her, I went to the restroom to clean up.

When I came out, Rilla looked hesitant.

In the end, she still spoke.

“Sorry. I accidentally heard some of that.”

“But honestly? The best way to get over a terrible ex is to let someone better take you out.”

“You’re adorable. There are plenty of men who would line up for a chance with you.”

Rilla introduced me to a few decent guys she knew.

I did not like any of them that way.

But Rilla herself?

I liked her a lot.

I went to her house for dinner a few times, and her family was warm and welcoming.

Her brother was nice too.

When I could not get a rideshare in a downpour, he drove me home.

The windshield wipers swept back and forth.

Leith Somers blinked, his long lashes lowering softly as he asked,

“Marlow, can I pick you up after work tomorrow too?”

We both knew what he was really asking.

My face warmed, and I nodded.

The next day, Rilla linked her arm through mine as we went out for an iced coffee run.

Suddenly, she perked up.

“Oh my God. At your five o’clock. Movie-star-level couple.”

I turned my head.

Cecily was standing on her toes, waving at me.

“Marlow! We came to see you!”

Keaton stood not far away, watching me with a dark, heavy gaze.

Rilla leaned close and whispered in my ear,

“Marlow, where do you know a couple that gorgeous from?”

I gave a faint, humorless smile.

“They’re my best friend and my ex-boyfriend.”

Rilla shut her mouth immediately.

“Marlow, is this a new friend?” Cecily asked, giving Rilla a sweet smile.

Cecily had always been gentle and beautiful.

No one disliked her.

But Rilla only tightened her hand around mine and gave Cecily a cool nod.

She knew what had happened between the three of us.

She knew enough about them not to like either of them.

Probably for the first time in her life, Cecily was met with coldness.

Her smile stiffened.

Keaton clearly could not stand seeing her embarrassed.

He walked over and stared straight at me.

“Marlowe, we came all this way to see you. Aren’t you going to show us around?”

I looked away and asked Rilla to cover for me.

Outside, it had started raining again.

Keaton had only one umbrella

Cecily had already stepped beneath it first.

Keaton pressed his lips together and looked like he was about to speak.

But I had already walked to a nearby convenience store and bought an umbrella for myself.