Page 69 of Five Years

Ariana toyed with the button on her blazer. Every bone in Leah’s body yearned for Ariana, and that was the problem. Sitting in such close proximity was painful. Seeing Ariana in a beautifully fitted power suit that only enhanced every part of her body was painful. She watched her lips open, intently focused on her tongue as she licked her lips—the saliva causing her lips to glisten—and Leah was almost speechless.

Would the effect Ariana had over her ever diminish?

“Tell me what you’re thinking . . .please,” Ariana said.

And so she did.

“I’m scared of the feelings I still have for you. Because I do, and pretending I don’t is exhausting. I’m scared that if I tell you I still love you, it’s going to ruin everything I’ve tried so hard to forget, and I’m scared you’ll run out of this office because you couldn’t possibly still feel the same.”

Ariana’s eyes widened.

The tension thickened.

The declaration was monumental.

Leah didn’t move. The sound of the soft jazz music seemed to increase in volume.

Her heart refused to find a normal rhythm. Her stomach felt like it was being rocked from side to side, causing her body to shake.

She was terrified of Ariana’s response.

FIFTEEN

I’m now that woman.

Leah was officially a homewrecker.

Did that still hold the same value if it was originally your home to wreck?

Well, technically, it was Hannah’s home to wreck first—

So, she was in fact the homewrecker. The jealous, bitter ex who chased down her former lover with no thought for her current fiancée and the life they’d built together.

Great, what a way to end the year, she thought.

Ariana was still silent. She sat with her arms folded across her chest, staring out into the skyline.

“I’m sorry.” Leah’s voice trembled.

“You don’t need to be sorry.”

Ariana looked torn, averting her gaze immediately as if weighing up her options.

“I should never have said that, it isn’t fair to you. I didn’t want this...I didn’t want to be this person. I just—”

“You just what?” Ariana encouraged. She looked back at Leah, her eyes pleading for what looked like the truth, but surely she didn’t want that?

“I can’t seem to give you up.” Leah sighed. “I’ve tried, honestly, I’ve tried so hard, but you’re always there, you’re always at the forefront of my mind and I hate it. I hate that despite my best efforts to move on, I can’t.”

She placed her head in her hands. Ariana sensed her distress and moved to kneel beside her. Leah’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. She swallowed hard, trying to maintain her composure.

“Hey, you’re not a bad person,” Ariana said, her voice shaky.

“How can you say that?”

Ariana reached out, brushing her fingers against Leah’s knee, offering a warmth and comfort that Leah was no longer used to.

“Because...I’m the one in a relationship. I’m the bad guy in this.”