He Dropped Me at the Service Station to Take Her Home Chapter 11

He Dropped Me at the Service Station to Take Her Home Chapter 11

Another summer rolled around. Five years had passed since I left Ashwick for good, and I returned to the small town for a work industry conference.

I stood outside the old apartment complex for a minute, ready to leave, when I turned my head and spotted Izzy across the street.

She clutched a grocery plastic bag in her hands, just standing still and staring straight at me.

“Ellie.”

She’d put on a little more weight compared to the last time we’d met.

“Is that really you? You’re back in town?”

I smiled gently.

“I’m here for a business conference, I just swung by on a whim.”

Izzy nodded, her eyes never leaving my face.

“You look incredible. You seem genuinely happy, that’s such wonderful news.”

Then a long, awkward silence stretched between us.

We’d been apart for too many years, there were no shared topics left to talk about.

As I turned to take my leave, Izzy grabbed the hem of my shirt sleeve lightly.

“Ellie, come inside and eat dinner with us.”

“Mom’s health has taken a bad turn-heart complications. She was hospitalized last month, and she talks about you nonstop every single day.”

I thought over her request briefly, then declined softly.

“I have back-to-back meetings all afternoon.”

Izzy rushed to amend her offer quickly.

“Then tonight works! I’ve learned how to cook all sorts of meals now, you have to taste my

cooking.”

Her voice shrank smaller and thicker with emotion toward the end of her sentence.

This Izzy standing before me was nothing like the spoiled girl I remembered-the one who’d

always let everyone wait on her hand and foot without lifting a finger.

My tone stayed even and calm.

“Maybe next time.”

All the light faded from Izzy’s face, then she forced herself to perk back up again.

“Alright, whenever you’re ready. I’ll head upstairs now. Take good care of yourself, don’t stay up late working too hard.”

I hummed a quiet “mm-hmm.”

Izzy walked a few steps toward the building entrance, then glanced back over her shoulder.

“Ellie… you don’t hate me anymore, right?”

I didn’t give her any answer.

She didn’t seem to need one anyway. She smiled faintly and walked inside the apartment building.

The afternoon conference was an industry networking event.

I sat in the back row, flipping through the event booklet.

During the mid-event break, I caught a familiar figure out of the corner of my eye.

Caspian.

He wore a tailored dark suit, looking far more stable and mature than he’d been five years prior.

The second he laid eyes on me, he shot straight up out of his seat.

He weaved through groups of attendees and hurried over to my side.

“Ellie.”

His voice was tight, overflowing with suppressed excitement.

I nodded at him, my tone polite yet completely distant.

“Long time no see.’

His eyes scanned every detail of my face, his voice trembling slightly.

“It’s crazy running into you here. I heard you’re still living in Northvale. How have you been all these years?”

I nodded once, no extra words.

He was about to keep talking when the break period ended.

He kept glancing backward as he walked to his seat, calling over his shoulder before sitting down.

“Wait for me after the conference wraps up, okay?”

I lifted the booklet up to cover half my face and rolled my eyes hard.

When the conference session finished, he tripped over several folding chairs in his rush to reach

I cringed at the awkward scene, ready to slip into the crowd and escape, but he planted himself firmly directly in front of me, eyes bright and fixed on mine.

“Ellie, you haven’t come back to Ashwick in years, right? Everything around town’s totally

changed.”

“Are you busy tonight? There’s a diner called The Copper Kettle Diner right near our old university campus, you used to love their menu-

-”

I’d heard enough of his rambling. I deliberately tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

His voice cut off instantly.

His gaze locked onto the plain platinum band wrapped around my left ring finger.

“You’re… married?”

I twisted the ring lazily around my finger.

“Yeah, we tied the knot last year.”

“My husband’s from Northvale-we dated years before we got married.”

He stumbled two steps backward, quickly darting his eyes away to stare at the carpeted floor like it

held all the answers he needed.

“That’s… that’s wonderful.”

He forced a stiff smile onto his face, his eyes glistening with wetness.

“Truly wonderful, Ellie. I’m happy for you.”

I adjusted the strap of my tote bag over my shoulder.

“Thanks, I need to head out now, I’ve got evening plans.”

He stood rigid as a concrete statue, not moving a single muscle for ages.

My female coworker glanced back at him, then turned to me confused.

“When did you get married? How did I never hear about this?”

I elbowed her arm hard.

“I made it up, just to shoo him off.”

Thank god I’d stuffed that random ring into my handbag that morning.

“Wow, that’s brutal. I fully believed your lie for a second there.

I pulled a face of annoyance.

“Please, that guy’s absolutely relentless.”

We stepped outside the conference hall, warm evening wind washing over our faces.

I took a deep breath and grinned at my coworker.

“C’mon, I know an amazing restaurant nearby. Dinner’s on me.

My coworker laughed and linked our arms together.

“Absolutely, Manager Thorne. I’m ordering the most expensive dish on the menu.”

We walked side by side into the dusk.

Every hurt from my old life faded a little more with each step.

This is me-Elowen Thorne, and I’ve never been happier.

From now on, I’m putting myself first, always..