The Co-op

by Tarah DeWitt

“Hate you? LaRynn, I never hated you. I don’t think I could have. You want to know what I hate?” He wipes at more of my tears. “I hate that I married you on some nothing Wednesday, in a short-sleeved shirt and jeans. You deserve a Saturday, Rynn. You deserve the Friday night that leads into the entire Saturday, and the whole Sunday in bed after.” He sighs. “I hate that I’ve never danced with you on a proper dance floor, where everyone we love could see that you’re mine.” At that, I smile. “I wish I could say I hated that you wore black to our wedding, but the truth is, you ripped the air out of my lungs in that dress, too.” I breathe a laugh and his face sobers. “I hate that I did that to you when we were younger. I hate that we wasted any time not loving one another right. Hate that you thought I was anything less than gone for you. Because I’m so fucking gone for you, LaRynn. I’m so stupidly in love with you.”