Red Room Hours with John Tan

Red

"How the hell do you know my best friend?" You felt icy cold but blazing hot at the same time, all the anger you'd pushed down for three weeks sizzling upward. You couldn't look at him for too long because you knew you'd start admiring how he filled out his shirt, or the way his skin looked smooth and warm. You wanted to cling to that bitterness, because it at least kept you from thinking about how much you still wanted him.

"I don't know her, but this afternoon I was at lunch with friends and she came storming up to me, screaming at me in front of everyone." He winced, probably recalling fiery Kasey charging at him, unperturbed by a restaurant full of people. She probably let him have it, holding nothing back. You regretted letting her stalk him on social media, but also wished you could have seen it.

"That doesn't explain at all how you ended up here, in my dorm, while she snuck off." You wanted to slap him, your hands tingled with the desire to snap his head to the side so you crossed your arms tightly. He'd probably like it anyway, you thought without humor.

"When she calmed down I explained some things to her, and she thought maybe I should say them to you. I didn't think it was such a good idea, you said to leave you alone, haven't I done that?"

"Fuck you, you don't get points for leaving me alone, you don't get extra credit because you did the one thing I asked after you hurt me." The anger was rising faster now, you paced side to side in front of your bed trying to disperse the energy.

"I'll go, I told her this was a bad idea, and I have no right to come back into your life." You glared at him, you shouldn't have to go through this again, you were going to kill Kasey when you finally let her speak to you again.

You'd worked so hard to stop thinking about him all of the time, the audacity of him showing back up was exasperating. You flinched remembering just last night how you'd drunkenly looked for him at every party, how you'd thought about his hands on your hips while you danced instead of one's belonging to the frat boys. Maybe you weren't doing a very good job of forgetting him, but you were coping in your own way and neither of them had the right to force this on you.

You stomped to your dresser and whipped open your jewelry box catching the broken bracelet string in your fingers then closed it into your palm and turned back to him. You wanted to look and see if her dainty bracelet still hung from his wrist but his long sleeves prevented you from doing that. When you were about an arm's length away you tossed the black cord at him, it bounced off his chest and fell to the carpet.

"Take that with you, I should have given it back day one. I'm sure you'll want every single sentimental thing from your darling." He bent and picked it up, recognition spreading across his face at once. He shook his head and balled it up in his own fist.

"It's broken, you should have just thrown it away."

"I guess I have a hard time letting go of things, but given I saw Bree with her tongue down another guy's throat Friday, she doesn't have the same problem." You regretted the words even as you said them, your stomach flipped with the hateful pettiness of what you'd thrown in his face. You turned away not wanting to see his reaction, arms crossed once more.

"Who cares what she's doing Y/N?" His voice was soft but forceful. You turned slightly, he was frowning, but there wasn't anything vulnerable on his face. He didn't look disappointed or upset to have heard your bombshell.

"Why wouldn't you care John? What she did was slip right between us, slide right into what we had, just like I watched her slip that bracelet over your wrist. She fit perfectly between everything you said you wanted with me. You let her humiliate me, and you walked away. You left me there alone to deal with your ex, like a fucking coward." You could feel tears edge your eyes remembering how small and worthless you'd felt watching his back as he left you to be squashed like a bug by Bree.