They Never Saved Me A Seat So I Built My Own Table Chapter 11
The moment Bruno saw me, he walked straight over.
He had lost weight, and the exhaustion under his eyes was stark.
The paper bag in his arms was soaked through, the corner of a dessert box showing.
“I brought everything I should have given you. The pastry, the pen, the graduation bear, and the photos.”
He held the bag out to me.
Every single item had my name on it.
*Alessia Marino.*
The two words I had waited so long to see now felt strangely foreign.
I didn’t take the bag.
Bruno’s hand froze in midair.
“Alessia, I know I was wrong.”
“I already moved out of The Arches. We can find a new place. There will be other festivals. From now on, whatever it is, I’ll always save one for you.”
He said it all in a rush, as if he’d rehearsed it a hundred times.
I asked calmly, “Why do you have to ‘save’ one for me?”
He blinked.
“What?”
“Because that means I’m still the person you think of last. An afterthought.”
The color drained from his face.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
I looked at the soggy bag in his arms.
“The dessert was only made because you realized mine was missing.”
“You only remembered the pen after the shop owner asked about me.”
“You only knew there wasn’t a bear for me because I had to ask for it.”
“The photos. The flowers. The graduation letters. The apartment we planned together.”
“Every single time, you all decided it was just a small thing. And every time I was hurt, you told me I was making a big deal out of nothing.”
“Over the last three years, you made a lot of choices.”
“And every time, I was the one you chose to leave out.”
Bruno’s lips moved, but no sound came out.
“I thought… I thought you wouldn’t care.”
“No, you didn’t.”
I cut him off.
“You just thought that even if I did care, I would never leave.”
Rain ran from his hair down his forehead.
He was silent for a long time before finally saying, his voice low, “Give me one more chance.”
“I’ll change.”
“I’ll keep my distance from Bianca, too.”