Chapter 4

In the end, I decided to wipe every one of their group chats clean.

But Diana's messages were still stacking up in the group, one after another.

"Boys, take a good look at how well your buddy Job is being fed."

She'd posted a selfie, a fresh red mark on her collarbone, captioned: "Job left this last night, chewing on me like a starved wolf, nearly rattled me apart. Does little Celeste ever get treated like this? Oh, right, I forgot, the two of you have to file paperwork in advance just to kiss, don't you?"

Joshua fired back instantly: "That's our girl, Diana. Three years of Job holding it in, and he let all of it out on you."

Damian piled on: "Don't be upset when you see this, Celeste. Men, you know. With you it's punching the clock. With Diana it's the real thing."

Then someone tagged me: "Celeste, take some notes. Quit acting so prim all the time. Job's going to get tired of the same old thing sooner or later."

I drew a slow breath and tapped Leave Group.

The screen went dark. Quiet at last.

But a second later, Job's message dropped in: "Why'd you leave the group? They were just messing around and you took it seriously? I'll come find you tonight and we'll clear this up in person."

When I didn't reply, he sent another: "Diana's used to hanging around us guys, she's got no filter, she just likes to run her mouth. Don't take it to heart."

A long stretch of silence, then he sent a little head-pat sticker: "I'll apologize on her behalf. Don't be angry anymore."

I stared at the screen for a long time, and all I felt was that none of it was familiar.

Even the sticker was one he'd gotten from Diana.

I drew another breath and wrote back: "In what capacity are you apologizing for her? I don't accept it."

Job typed and deleted, typed and deleted, and what I got in the end was a friend request from Diana: "Don't be mad, sweetie. Job was holding me last night and calling out your name, you really do matter to him~ Add me, and big sis will teach you how to take care of a man."

I hit decline. Then I deleted Job too.

Outside the cab window the neon signs slid backward one by one, and in the rearview mirror I could see my own swollen, red eyes.

The driver glanced at me in the mirror and passed back a pack of tissues. "Don't cry, girl. A man's not worth your tears."

I took the tissues. My throat was too raw to get a word out.

A number I hadn't heard from in a long time popped up:

"Isn't today your wedding day?"

"That guy Job, why is he still at a karaoke bar drinking with people?"

I fell silent too.

I should have cut Job off cleanly.

And yet part of me had still let myself believe a sliver of what he said.

"What a shame." I gave a small laugh. "Now I won't be getting your cash gift."

He was quiet for a long time. "I'm going to be teaching at a rural school soon. Do you want to come?"

He sent a location. It was exactly my hometown.

For this wedding rehearsal, because the mountains were high and the roads were long, Job had gone out of his way to hire people to play my parents, saying that on the real wedding day he'd send a fancy car all the way out to bring them in.

I cried and laughed, laughed and cried. "Okay."

This time, the road was one I chose myself.