I was just doing the damn laundry. That\u2019s all it was supposed to be. But when I reached into Dale\u2019s old brown jacket and found a perfectly wrapped gift, my gut twisted into knots.<\/p>\n
A sleek perfume bottle. Expensive. Feminine.<\/p>\n
And not my scent.<\/p>\n
My birthday had passed. Our anniversary wasn\u2019t for months. There was no reason for Dale to have this. So who was it for?<\/p>\n
Laundry wasn\u2019t my favorite chore, but if I didn\u2019t do it, no one would. Every week, the same routine: pick up the mess Dale left scattered around the house, sort through the piles, and get to work.<\/p>\n
I moved through the rooms, collecting socks from under the couch, jeans from the hallway, and then my eyes landed on his old brown jacket draped over the chair.<\/p>\n
That jacket.<\/p>\n
The one he never let me wash.<\/p>\n
I frowned, hesitating. The thing was worn at the elbows, soft from years of use. It smelled like him\u2014like faded cologne and the cigarettes he swore he only smoked when he was stressed.<\/p>\n
I lifted it, ready to toss it into the laundry basket, but something inside made a soft thud.<\/p>\n
I stopped. Patted the fabric. There it was again\u2014a small, firm shape in the pocket.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not a snoop. At least, I wasn\u2019t before. But something about the weight of it, the way it sat heavy in my hand, made my stomach tighten.<\/p>\n
I reached in, fingers curling around a smooth, neat package.<\/p>\n
A small, perfectly wrapped box.<\/p>\n
I turned it over, my heartbeat picking up. The paper was smooth, with a neat little ribbon tied on top. The kind of wrapping that took effort. Thought.<\/p>\n
Dale was not a man of extra effort.<\/p>\n
My birthday was last week. He had already given me a necklace\u2014nothing fancy, but sweet. There were no upcoming holidays or anniversaries that explained why this was hidden away.<\/p>\n
My thumb ran along the ribbon, my hands moving before my brain could catch up. The ribbon slid off easily. The paper peeled back in a whisper.<\/p>\n
A sleek perfume bottle gleamed up at me.<\/p>\n
I lifted it, turned it over, and spritzed a tiny bit on my wrist. The scent was floral, light, sophisticated.<\/p>\n
Not my scent.<\/p>\n
Not even close.<\/p>\n
My fingers tightened around the bottle.<\/p>\n
If it wasn\u2019t for me\u2026 who the hell was it for?<\/p>\n
I set the perfume bottle in the center of the counter, right where Dale couldn\u2019t miss it. Every time I walked by, my eyes landed on that sleek glass, and my stomach clenched.<\/p>\n
All day, I ran through possible explanations.<\/p>\n
Maybe he had bought it for me and forgot. Maybe he was planning a surprise, and I had just ruined it.<\/p>\n
But none of it felt right.<\/p>\n
Dale wasn\u2019t the \u201cextra gift\u201d kind of guy. He barely remembered to wrap the ones he did give me. The idea that he had been tucking something away for later, planning a romantic gesture? That wasn\u2019t him.<\/p>\n
The door creaked open, and Dale stepped inside, stretching like a man ready to relax. He kicked off his boots, ran a hand through his hair.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, babe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer. Just picked up the perfume bottle and held it up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was in your jacket.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes flicked to it for a second. \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n
I took a step closer. \u201cThis. The perfume. Want to explain?\u201d<\/p>\n
His shoulders stiffened\u2014just for a second. A quick dart of his eyes before he covered it up with a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, that? It\u2019s for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d he said, too quickly. \u201cMeant to give it to you for your birthday, but I figured I\u2019d wait. Y\u2019know, surprise you later.\u201d<\/p>\n
I studied him. The way he shifted, like he wanted to step away. Like he wanted this conversation over.<\/p>\n
Dale wasn\u2019t a liar. Not really. But I knew when he was bending the truth.<\/p>\n
This felt stretched.<\/p>\n
I kept my face neutral. If I pushed too hard, he\u2019d turn it back on me. Why was I snooping? Why didn\u2019t I trust him?<\/p>\n
So I took a breath, set the bottle back on the counter, and nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
I let it go.<\/p>\n
At least, I pretended to.<\/p>\n
Claire breezed through my front door like she owned the place, as she always did.<\/p>\n
No knock, no warning\u2014just the jingling of keys and the thud of her purse hitting the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, sis,\u201d she called, kicking off her shoes. \u201cGot any coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n
I sighed. Claire had been making herself at home since she moved back to town, and at this point, I was used to it.<\/p>\n
She flopped onto the couch, stretching across the cushions.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should start paying rent,\u201d I muttered, grabbing two mugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cPfft. Consider my presence a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
I rolled my eyes, pouring the coffee. Just as I was about to hand her a cup, she gasped.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God!\u201d Claire\u2019s voice was high with excitement.<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
She was holding it.<\/p>\n
The perfume bottle.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that Ch\u00e9ri \u00c9l\u00e9gance?\u201d she asked, practically bouncing in her seat.<\/p>\n
I forced my voice to stay even. \u201cYeah. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s eyes lit up. \u201cI love this scent! I\u2019ve been dreaming about it forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned the bottle over in her hands, admiring it.<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n
I set the mugs down. \u201cWhere\u2019d you get it?\u201d she asked, still grinning.<\/p>\n
I hesitated. Just for a second.<\/p>\n
\u201cDale gave it to me,\u201d I said, my voice steady.<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s face lit up even more.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo way! That\u2019s wild\u2014he was asking me about perfumes the other day. Like, really asking. I thought he was just making conversation, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped hearing her after that.<\/p>\n
Dale had been asking her about perfumes.<\/p>\n
And she loved this one.<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s birthday was in two weeks.<\/p>\n
I looked at her, still chatting away, oblivious to the realization hitting me like a punch to the gut.<\/p>\n
And suddenly, I knew.<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what? You should have it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire blinked. \u201cWait, what?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cIt\u2019s not my style. But if you love it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated. \u201cAre you sure? I mean, Dale got it for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shrugged. \u201cYeah, I\u2019m sure. Besides, you\u2019re obsessed with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s smile stayed, but her eyes sharpened. She knew me too well.<\/p>\n
I picked up my coffee. \u201cIn fact, why don\u2019t you stay for dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Then, realization.<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d she said, voice dripping with anticipation. \u201cThis is gonna be good.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I was just doing the damn laundry. That\u2019s all it was supposed to be. But when I reached into Dale\u2019s old brown jacket and found a perfectly wrapped gift, my gut twisted into knots. A sleek perfume bottle. Expensive. Feminine. And not my scent. My birthday had passed. Our anniversary wasn\u2019t for months. There was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32809"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32810,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32809\/revisions\/32810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}