One
Madeline
I watched my boyfriend, Harris, pull a suit from his closet and frown.
“Did you hear what I said?” I asked from my seat on the end of his bed.
Harris walked over and laid his clothes over his traveling garment bag without taking a single glance in my direction.
“Harris?”
He looked up at me, startled, almost as if he’d forgotten I was even there.
Sadly, this had been the state of our relationship lately.
“What?” he asked.
“Friday night.”
“What about Friday night?”
I ground my teeth together as I stopped myself from reaching over and strangling him. “My friends want to get together for my birthday.”
I watched a variety of emotions cross Harris’s face. In the year and a half we’d been dating, he’d never hidden the fact that he didn’t care for my friends, and I sat and waited for him to make up an excuse as to why we couldn’t go.
Harris pursed his lips. “Why don’t you and I go out to dinner on Friday instead?” He smiled at me, giving me one hundred percent of the Harris Starling charm. It was the Harris smile that had gotten me to go on a date with him. And it was the Harris smile that had gotten me to sleep with him.
But now, it did nothing for me.
I mentally rolled my eyes because I was not some business deal he had to make. And I didn’t answer right away because I didn’t want to say something snarky I’d regret.
I picked up my phone and texted my best friend, Griffin.
Me: Guess what.
Griffin: You won the lottery.
Me: Ha! I wish. No. I called it. Harris is trying to convince me to ditch you guys on Friday and go to dinner with him alone.
Griffin: Fucking prick. And you didn’t call it. I did.
Me: Technically, we both did.
Griffin: What did you tell him?
I looked up from my phone to see Harris had moved over to his dresser and was pulling out socks and underwear. I hated his tighty-whities. I never found them attractive.
Boxers or boxer briefs were better.
Commando was the best.
My phone buzzed in my hand.
Griffin: You still there? What did he say?
“We’re going to dinner on Saturday night,” I reminded Harris.
He paused and turned around. “Hmm?”
I sighed. “We’re having dinner on Saturday, remember? That’s why I wanted to go out with my friends on Friday.” My tone had gone from casual to firm as I had to remind him of our plans once again. This was not the first time he’d forgotten.
Guilt flooded Harris’s face, and his brown eyes avoided mine.
“What?” I asked with full-on irritation now. I knew him well enough to know that whatever he was going to say, I wasn’t going to like it.
“I’m leaving town.”
I lifted an eyebrow and looked at his clothes and luggage strewn about his bed. “I know.”
“No, I mean, I’m leaving on Saturday now instead of Sunday.”
“It’s Wednesday, and you’re just telling me this now?”
He shrugged. Shrugged.
“You do realize, my birthday is on Friday? A birthday you promised to be in town for.” It wasn’t every day that your girlfriend turned thirty.
Harris’s blond brow furrowed. “I thought that your birthday was on Saturday.”
I dropped my face in my hand and rubbed my forehead. I was so tired.
My phone vibrated in my other hand, so I peeked at it.
Griffin: Dump his ass.
Keeping my head down, I shot back a quick message.
Me: You don’t even know what he said.
Griffin: It wasn’t good if you’re not even telling me what he said.
Me: You’re right. He doesn’t even know what day my birthday is.
Griffin: Break it off. You deserve better. Besides, you’re always whining about not getting any.
I chuckled. Griffin always had a way of making me smile.
And that was why he was my best friend.
Me: I don’t whine.
But Griffin was right. Harris and I hadn’t had sex in weeks. We hadn’t had decent sex in months. And unfortunately, we’d never had great sex.
Maybe I did complain a lot. I would never admit to whining though.
“What’s so funny?”
I looked up at Harris, standing there with his hand on his hip, judgment on his face.
He probably had a good guess as to who I was texting, and I was sure he didn’t like it.
Griffin and Harris had never gotten along.
I lost all humor as I stood and looked Harris in the eyes. It wasn’t hard, as he was only two inches taller than me.
“Don’t worry about dinner on Friday or Saturday.”
Harris cocked his head. “I don’t understand.”
“We’re not going to dinner either night.”
“Don’t you want your birthday present?”
“From you?” I said as I headed for the bedroom door. “No.”
I heard the dresser drawer close behind me and the click of Harris’s dress shoes on his hardwood floor as he followed.
Thank God it’d never become my hardwood floor.
Harris had asked me to move in more than once, but I always had a reason to say no.
Now, I knew the reason was gut instinct.
“Madeline, I don’t understand.”
I grabbed my jacket and purse from the couch on my way to the front door without answering right away.
The man was undeniably clueless.
I yanked open the thick oak door and turned around as the cool autumn air hit my back. “I don’t need your birthday present because I am giving myself the best one.”
He frowned. “And what’s that?”
I grinned. “I am getting rid of you.”
“What?”
“It’s over, Harris. I’m done.”
A thousand pounds fell from my shoulders, and I felt freer than I had in months.
I turned toward the outside air and sucked in a deep breath before pulling on my coat.
Damn, it felt good.
“You can’t break up with me.”
I looked over my shoulder at Harris. “I just did. Have fun on your business trip. Please don’t call me when you get back.”
I stepped out onto the front stoop and closed the door behind me. “Good riddance,” I muttered. I hit a button on my phone and lifted it to my ear.
“You got Griffin,” a deep rasp said in my ear.
Hearing his voice made me realize I had made the absolute best decision. My bestie was going to be so proud of me.
“Hey.”
“Hey. I was wondering if I was ever going to hear back from you.”
“I did it.”
“Did what?”
“I broke up with Harris.”
Griffin laughed in disbelief. “You’re shitting me.”