Begin Again

"Steve, why can't you just do one thing for me." Leah said into her phone as she shuffled her purse, keys and a couple shopping bags.

"Leah, I do things for you all the time." He mumbled into the phone.

She sighed and knew he was out with his friends. "But it's my mom's birthday dinner. They invited you."

"So?" He asked. She knew he had his bushy eyebrows raised. "Tell them I'm working."

"You're not though."

She pushed open her apartment door and plopped on the couch. This was the third time he was bailing on a family function.

"They will know you're avoiding them." She said. “I don’t want to keep making up lies.”

"Leah, I don't care." He said to her.

She felt her eyes watering. “You are so selfish.”

“You’re being a bitch,” He spat back.

She flinched and shook her head. “Look, I just want you to want to spend time with me.” She began to say but stopped when she heard him hang up.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the back of the couch. She starred at her phone background; Steve was holding her phone in front of them, letting her capture a rare moment of happiness.

She pushed herself up off the leather couch and made her way into the kitchen. She saw she was out of milk, something she had in the fridge before Steve left that morning.

Leah rolled her blue eyes and slammed the refrigerator door.

She opened her text message screen and began typing, "For once, do something for someone other than you. Stay at your place tonight." She hit send and muted her phone.