More - A.M.

Chapter Ten

Tears are already rolling down my cheeks as I hold a box of Tyler's things in one hand, and ring his doorbell with the other. It takes a few seconds before he answers the door, but he does, and that's when the realization of what i'm about to do sets in again.

He gives me a puzzled look and I try to speak, but I get too choked up.

"What's going on? Why are you crying?" He asks.

"We-," I take a minute to try and collect myself. "I'm done."

"What do you mean you're done?" His eyebrows furrow as he questions me.

"I mean i'm done. With us. We're done." I shove the box of things at him, but he doesn't accept it.

"Ella, why are you doing this?"

"I saw you today. I was looking for you so that we could have that talk, but instead I saw you with her." I vigorously wiped the tears from my eyes as I watched Tyler come to the realization that I'd caught him.

He didn't say anything at first. He just looked down with his eyes closed and took a moment. Finally, he says, "I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry? For what, Tyler? For lying to me? For cheating on me? Or for getting caught?" I spat.

"Baby-"

"Don't you dare!" I yelled. "Don't you dare try to talk yourself out of this. I saw you! I believed you when you told me you two were just friends! Do you even realize how fucking dumb I feel right now?" I cried.

"I messed up, I know that," he admits.

"That's an understatement," I add.

"I'm so sorry, Ella. I really am whether you believe me or not. I never meant for it to happen, it just.. I don't know. I'm not going to make excuses for it."

"Well good because I didn't come over here to listen to your bullshit. I just wanted to return your stuff back to you," I said, shoving the box back at him once again.

He shoves it back at me. "Ellanour, I don't want this," he sighs.

"You don't get to call me that. Especially not anymore," I sniffled.

"Look, just keep that stuff, okay? I gave it all to you because I wanted you to have it," he explains.

"I don't want any of it, Tyler. I don't need to be reminded of you every time I see it in my room. It's best if you just take it back." I push the box into his hands and this time he takes it.  "I'm leaving," I announce.

"Wait!" He yells. "Can we please just talk for a minute?"

"About what? What's left to say?" I ask, just plain exhausted at this point.

"Please, Ella. Just sit and talk with me." He sits on one of his porch steps and places the box of his things down next to him. I give in and sit next to him.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry about her. And i'm sorry you found out this way. I know i've made a mistake, i'm not going to deny that," he says, holding eye contact with me.

I break it. "Just tell me something," I choked out. "Did you sleep with her?"

I really probably didn't need to know because if he had, it would only make me feel worse, but I had to know. I had to know if he was sleeping with some girl while he was supposed to be with me.

"No, I swear. I know I messed up, but I would have never done that," he admits.

"How long were you seeing her behind my back?"