He Never Delayed For Anyone Else

Chapter 4

I used to volunteer at the nursing home. Over time, Mavis and I had grown close. One day, while I was wheeling her outside for some sunshine, we ran into Desmond, who'd come to visit her.

He told me he'd fallen in love with me at first sight and began pursuing me that very day. He pulled out all the stops to win me over, and everyone at the nursing home knew about it. Whenever I visited, the other residents would tease Mavis.

"Look, your grandson's future bride is here to see you again!"

Yet it wasn't until I heard what Cecily said today that I learned he'd never told anyone but his grandmother I existed.

Mavis's stream of concerned questions pulled me out of my tangled thoughts. I glossed over the worst of what had happened and reassured her that I was all right. I didn't want her to worry.

"Once you're better, come see me with Desmond. I miss you both."

I was about to refuse, but when I pictured her sitting there all alone, I agreed. 'We met because of her. Once I get out of the hospital in a few days, I'll visit her with him one last time. Then I'll end things. At least that will bring our relationship full circle.'

I went back to my chat with Desmond. After repeatedly deleting and rewriting what I wanted to say, I finally sent a single message.

Lenora: Your grandmother says she misses us.

He replied immediately.

Desmond: Okay. We'll go see her once you're out of the hospital.

I didn't answer. Ingrid had already left because she had to work overtime the next day. I leaned against the headboard and waited from the middle of the night until dawn. Desmond never came back.

I'd only been asleep for an hour when the scrape of a chair woke me. Desmond opened a food container. Inside was my favorite chicken noodle soup.

I picked up my phone to check the time, only to find an i********: follow request from Cecily. After a moment's hesitation, I accepted it and followed her back.

I didn't ask him why he'd stayed away all night. He brought a spoonful of soup to my lips, but now just looking at him made me feel sick. I turned my head away.

His lips curved. "Are you mad at me?"

Without waiting for an answer, he launched into an explanation.

"Cecily and I grew up together. That's all there is to it. As for what she said about us breaking up, her parents wouldn't stop pressuring her to get a boyfriend. She asked me to pretend to be hers for a while, just to get them off her back."

Right in front of me, he deleted the ringtone she'd recorded and replaced it with my favorite song.

"It was only for a day. The ringtone was part of making it convincing." He raised a hand. "I swear there's nothing between us." Then he hooked his pinky around mine. "So please, sweetheart, don't be jealous."

Desmond rarely spoke to me so tenderly when trying to win me over. In the past, I would have melted under the attention. Now, I simply opened my photo gallery and held the phone in front of him.

"So you're saying nothing happened here, either?" I asked flatly.

The photo of him and Cecily buying condoms was right there on the screen.