“You were the one who wanted to run away,” he said simply. “Because you were talking about our giving each other space and time. And then when I was gone just a few months, I find out you loved Paula.” Jake straightened, realizing for the first time how it had looked from her side. “Is that what you thought?” he asked. “What else was I supposed to think?” Miriam’s voice was heavy with sarcasm, and the mood in the room suddenly shifted. “I left, and the next thing I knew you took her to the prom and married her,” she continued. “What happened?” “Why didn’t you write me?” he countered. “Are you kidding?” Miriam got up and shoved the chair back, and Jake saw a brief flash of the old Miriam. “You break up with me, and you expected me to write you?” “I didn’t break up with you, Miriam. I told you we needed to give each other some space, some time.” “So you could marry Paula.” He suddenly realized how the situation had looked to her, yet hesitated to explain.
