He shouts as he lifts me up for a warm embrace. I so much want to wrap my arms around him and breathe in his delicious scent of peppermint and fresh air, but I leave my arms to my side; forcing myself to be as insolent as he was the night I thought I had died. “What? Are you not happy to see me? I came to wish you a happy birthday love.” He pretends to be confused by my cold reaction to him. Like he didn’t rip my heart out and leave it on the side of the road in the middle of London, but I know he knows why I’m not thrilled. “Do you think I should be happy? I mean really Simon, do you really think I would be happy to see you, here… at my birthday party? It hasn’t even been a full year yet since you broke me.” I can’t help but raise my voice. I can feel all the torment from last fall come rushing back to me and I want to fall to the floor and cry, but I know that is not an option, so I hide my pain by getting angry at him and lashing out.
