They Spoke French To Hide It, Not Knowing I Understood Chapter 07

They Spoke French To Hide It, Not Knowing I Understood Chapter 07

I looked into his eyes.

I’d known those eyes for twenty years.

From kindergarten, when he stole my candy, to high school, when he threw punches for me, to that sunrise at Lake Tahoe where he told me he loved me, ears burning red.

I’d seen them shine. I’d seen them lie.

Now they were wet.

“Ethan,” I said. My voice was steady. “You’re asking me for one chance.”

He nodded desperately.

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been giving you chances?”

He froze.

“The first time you left me standing there while you gamed with Nova, I gave you a chance. When she called you in the middle of the night saying she couldn’t sleep and you crawled out of bed to talk to her till dawn while I lay there pretending to be asleep, I gave you a chance.”

“When she came over for dinner and leaned into you and you said ‘knock it off’ but never actually

pushed her away, I gave you a chance.”

“Every single time you crossed the line, every time you made me feel invisible, every time you made me feel like an outsider in my own relationship-I was giving you a chance. You never once took it.”

His eyes reddened further. “I really do love you, Ellie. Please forgive me.”

“Ethan, you think I haven’t forgiven you? You’re wrong.”

“Every time I watched you and Nova blur the lines, I forgave you. Every night I lay awake replaying those moments of humiliation, I still forgave you.”

Ethan’s face went white.

“You flew a long way to find me in the UK. But I flew to France over and over and over-and not once did you ever pick me up.”

“Do you even know how many stops there are on the metro from the airport to your apartment?”

His lips trembled.

“Fifteen,” I said. “I counted.”

“I still remember every single one.”

Ethan stood rooted, completely rigid.

“Ethan, you will never be able to make this right. You will never deserve my forgiveness”

I turned and walked back into my dorm. I didn’t look back.

Three years later.

I flew home on December twentyninth. A light snow was falling over Boston.

I wheeled my suitcase out of Logan and saw my mom waving from the arrivals curb, a few more silver

threads in her hair.

“You’ve lost weight,” she said, taking my bag and eyeing me from every angle. “British food must be

terrible.”

“I cook for myself now, and it’s pretty good.” I looped my arm through hers. “Mom, did you get your hair

done?”

“Your dad says it makes me look younger.”

On New Year’s Eve, the two families had dinner together like always.

Ethan sat across the round table, heat shimmering between the dishes. I didn’t deliberately look at him.

Three years. He’d lost a lot of weight.

His jawline was sharper than before. He sat there quiet, fork motionless in his hand.

His mom sat next to me and held my hand and wouldn’t let go.

“Ellie, we missed you so much these past three years while you were in the UK. You’re so thin now-look at that sharp little chin.”

I smiled and put a rib on her plate. “You’ve lost weight too, Mrs. Hale. You should eat more.”

Halfway through dinner, she set her fork down. She looked at me, then at Ethan.

“Ellie.” Her voice was gentle. “Can I ask you something? Don’t be annoyed with me… Are you seeing

anyone right now?”

The table fell quiet for a moment.

“No,” I said. “Work just started. I haven’t had time.”

A flicker of hope crossed Mrs. Hale’s face.

She hesitated, then spoke anyway.

“Maybe… you could give our Ethan another look. He’s actually a pretty good guy, you know.”

“That boy has been waiting for you all these years. He told us he messed up-that he hurt you. He’s

been too scared to reach out because he didn’t want you to hate seeing him. So he just waited, year after

year.”

Ethan’s fork finally stilled.

He lifted his eyes to me for one moment, then dropped them again. His ears went deep red.

“Ellie.” Mrs. Hale squeezed my hand, her voice threaded with something close to a plea. “You two grew

up together. Twenty years of history. He made a mistake. He knows it, and he regrets it. Can you… just give

him one more chance?”

The room went so quiet you could hear snow settling against the window.

I glanced down at the halfeaten rib on my plate, then looked up and gave Mrs. Hale a soft smile.

“No, thank you. What’s past is past.”