He Only Lets Me Call Saturdays at Nine I Call Someone Else Chapter 01

He Only Lets Me Call Saturdays at Nine I Call Someone Else Chapter 01

On my first day working at the Hayes Group, Adrian Hayes set one rule for me:

Every Saturday at nine p.m. was the only time I was allowed to call him.

To avoid office gossip, I had only ten minutes. If he didn’t answer, I wasn’t allowed to call again. I could send him only one message a day.

He said that was what being in a relationship looked like.

I followed that rule for four years.

Over those four years, I learned to watch the clock and say everything I wanted to tell him in one breath.

Until one evening after work, someone snatched my bag and smashed my phone.

I borrowed a stranger’s phone to call him. I’d barely said a word when he replied coldly, “You’re breaking the rule. Wait until Saturday if you have something to say.”

Then he hung up.

I suddenly wanted to see him.

But just as I reached the apartment building, I saw him coming back with Lilah Simpson, his intern.

Some older women from the neighborhood laughed and teased him, “Adrian, picking up your girlfriend after work again?”

“Rain or shine, you never miss a day. You’re such a good man.”

Adrian just smiled and let the misunderstanding stand.

He pressed the elevator button for her, and the two of them stepped inside together.

Soon, the third-floor lights came on.

I stood outside and deleted the alarm I’d had set on my phone for four years.

Nine p.m., Saturday.

There was no reason to keep that alarm anymore. No one would be waiting for those ten minutes again.

He wanted to keep our relationship hidden? Fine. I’d give him exactly what he wanted.

From now on, I’d stay out of his way completely.

…

I stood outside Adrian’s apartment.

The light above me flickered on and off, looking painfully like the relationship we’d had all these years.

I hesitated, then finally raised my hand and knocked.

After a while, the door opened.

The moment Adrian saw me, his brows pulled together.

“What are you doing here? This isn’t our agreed time. Go home.”

If this had been any other night, I probably would’ve turned around and left.

But tonight was different.

The voices of the older women from the neighborhood still echoed in my head.

“That Hayes boy’s girlfriend is gorgeous. He picks her up every day.”

“I saw them shopping together last week. They came out with bags and bags of stuff.”

They were talking about Lilah.

She was an intern at the Hayes Group, and every time she saw me, she always greeted me warmly.

I’d never imagined she’d be inside Adrian’s apartment.

“Roselyn, don’t make a scene. We agreed—”

I cut him off. “Is someone in there?”

He froze for a second.

“Adrian… Why’s it taking you so long to bring the flowers?”

Lilah poked her head out. The moment she saw me, she broke into a smile.

“Roselyn? What brings you here this late? Is it about work?”

Before I could answer, she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.

I stood in the entryway, glancing around. The living room was still the same familiar shades of gray.

But the coffee table, where he’d once forbidden me from leaving even a coaster, now held a pink mug. The sofa cushions had been replaced with velvet ones.

The guest room door was open.

Adrian had always told me it was full of junk and there was no room to go in. I’d believed him for five years and had never stepped inside.

Now Lilah cheerfully pulled me in and opened the closet. It was packed with women’s clothes, many of them still with their tags on.

Miu Miu. Self-Portrait. Brands I’d always been too reluctant to buy for myself.

“Look at you. How did you manage to make such a mess of yourself?”

“But I guess that’s what happens when you don’t have a boyfriend. Adrian picks me up from work every day.”

“He bought all of these for me. He gets me new ones every week, and I can’t wear them all. Just pick something you like and change into it.”

I looked at her. “Are you two in a relationship”

Her face flushed all the way to her ears.

“Not yet… He hasn’t actually asked me out, but we’re basically there. He even took me to meet his parents last time. So I think it’ll happen soon.”

My heart slowly went cold. The pain from the shattered glass digging into my palm couldn’t compare to this.

At the dinner table sat a spread of bright red, spicy dishes.

Adrian ladled soup into a bowl and set it beside Lilah. Then he casually brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“It shouldn’t be too spicy. I went easy on the chili peppers this time.”

She gave him a playful pout. “I’ll eat anything you make. You don’t have to go learn from a chef just for me.”

I sat across from them like a stranger who didn’t belong there.

Adrian had never once asked what I liked to eat.

We’d been together for five years, yet I could count the number of times we’d actually eaten together on one hand.

I couldn’t eat spicy food, but he ordered spicy dishes every time.

I’d thought he was just careless, that he simply wasn’t good at expressing himself.

I was wrong.

I looked up and saw Adrian carefully picking the bones from a piece of fish before putting it on Lilah’s plate.

I suddenly remembered last Saturday, when I’d called him as usual and he’d hung up before I could even finish a sentence.

As if sensing my gaze, Adrian looked at me, his expression cold.

“Roselyn, are you done eating? It’s late. If there’s nothing else, you should go home.”

Lilah immediately tugged on his arm.

“Adrian! How can you talk to her like that? I’ll walk her home. It’s not safe for a woman to go home alone…”

“But you were supposed to stay tonight…”

Before they could say anything else, I stood up.

“It’s fine. I can go by myself.”

I walked toward the door while their voices continued behind me.

“Adrian! I don’t like you being nice to other women, but that doesn’t mean…”

The door closed behind me, shutting everything out.

I slowly walked downstairs and opened Adrian’s chat. The last message was one I’d sent yesterday:

[Work’s been so crazy this week. I’m exhausted, but thinking about calling you on Saturday made me happy. How have you been? Make sure you eat on time.]

He still hadn’t replied.

My thumb hovered over the send button. I don’t know how much time passed before I finally pressed it.

[Let’s break up.]

This time, I wouldn’t look back.