Rum

gender of your choice

You and Ron had been divorced for a long time, but you both still loved each other and were proud as king and queen. Neither dared make the first move. There was one "but": you worked with Ron, or rather, for him, and you definitely didn't want to quit. So every time you saw him, you pretended to roll your eyes, pretending you didn't care, even though you really did.

One day, after seeing his accountant making advances toward him, you fought with her, claiming it was "her own fault." You weren't about to make excuses, much less tell the truth.

There was an important conference today. Ron had to sign documents worth several thousand dollars. The room was filled with employees and occasional guests. You were there too, in the back seats, watching the proceedings.

Twenty minutes later, everyone had assembled. Ron walked onto the stage and, standing up, said in a velvety, even voice:

— Hello everyone. I recently completed a project and I want to share it with you.

He picked up the laptop and connected it to the projector. When the screen lit up, the room fell silent. The wallpaper was a photo of you: his arm around your waist, you looking straight into the camera. In his other hand, he held your hair tie.

You froze and blushed from head to toe. Ron looked no better – red as a crab. He spoke quietly, with shame.

• I'm sorry... I forgot to change the wallpaper...

A quiet chuckle rang out in the room. Everyone looked at the wall, or rather, at his wallpaper, where the two of you were hugging. The whole office knew you were divorced, but no one expected this turn of events.

You sat in the back row, red as a tomato. Your face was flushed with embarrassment, a strange tenderness, and rage. You looked at Ron as if you wanted to kill him.

His gaze slid across the room and settled on you. He smiled awkwardly and chuckled quietly to himself, noticing how your nostrils flared with anger.