“You do, do you?” Daniella couldn’t believe this. She couldn’t believe that Eli was sitting there calmly while all of their—no, his—plans came crashing down around his ears. She couldn’t believe that he hadn’t let her take the fall, either. That he’d told Archer Junior. That Archer Junior wasn’t pressing charges.

The chant grew louder, more ferocious—howdarehehowdarehehowdarehe—until there was nothing left in her mind but those words. Nothing left but that rage. She couldn’t believe she had tried to take the fall for him. Couldn’t forgive herself for the attempt. “I don’t give a flying fuck, Eli. Get out of here.”

Daniella needed him out. Away from her. Away from the coffee that he had finished off. Away from the mess he had made. Why had Daniella even bothered to help him? Why? Why couldn’t she look at Eli anymore after she had? Why couldn’t she make a simple cup of coffee without Eli ruining it for everyone, but most particularly for herself?

Whywhywhy. Howdarehehowdarehehowdarehe.

Eli took a long drink from his mug. Then he put it down on a side table. For a moment, his whole face had screwed up like he was registering new information. Then he tilted his head. “Oh, I see. You want to pick a fight.”

He said it as such a declarative thing—like he didn’t even frame the idea as a question.

Daniella had to immediately push back. “No, I don’t.”

Then for good measure, Daniella grabbed one of the hideous floral cushions from the other Golden Girls love seat and threw it at him. “I want you to get out of here and leave me alone.”

And, of course, the pillows bounced right off Eli’s shoulders. Nothing stuck to him, not even couch cushions. The pillow hadn’t even had the decency to land on a more vulnerable spot on Eli’s body.

“Right. That checks out. You’re not mad at me. You’re not mad about the store closing. You’re never mad about anything. You just want me to leave you alone and you are, of course, super calm and very fine.”

Daniella lost it then. She toppled the nearest Golden Girls chair and then kicked it for good measure. Then she went over to the boxes and boxes and boxes of Jordans that she had spent all morning stacking, and she started throwing them into one another. A couple of the boxes burst open, the Jordans spilled out.

Eli was up in a shot. He grabbed her around the tops of her arms, gentle but firm. And then he said, “Danny. Danny, come back.”

But Daniella couldn’t find the way back. She was so angry. She wanted to light the room on fire. She wanted to upend Jo’s desk. She wanted to tear down the world and hope nobody bothered to remake it again. “No.”