“Chayala, I know you want to swoop in and make things perfect, but just this once, I need you to be patient and stay out of it”

Ari slid back into the car, and reluctantly, Dassi did, too. She  still needed a ride home after all. He looked straight ahead through the windshield. His rigid profile made her realize how much he usually made an effort to look her straight in the eye when he spoke to her. Well, good. It would be easier this way.

“Why?” asked Ari. “I’m so confused about why you would want to end things. Where is this coming from? We’ve been so clearly on the same page about everything. What could possibly have changed?”

Dassi stared at him. “Seriously? What you said on that phone call was… it was hurtful, honestly. I don’t think I’ve ever been that hurt by anyone I’ve ever dated. And it just felt so out of left field, and that made it even worse.”

Ari turned to her, his eyes boring into hers. “Dassi,” he said, and she wondered if he’d ever said her name before. “The way our conversation on Monday ended was totally fine. I explained to you that what you did wasn’t okay with me, and we were on the same page. We moved on. Why is it a whole big deal now?”

Dassi opened her mouth incredulously. “That’s not how we ended the conversation. You ended it when you said that my innocent beanie joke was the reason I’m still single. I love my life, and I know Hashem has a plan for me, but that was still the absolute most hurtful thing anyone has ever had the guts to say to me.”

“Dassi, are you serious?” Ari sounded incredulous. “I never said that. You obviously misheard me because I would never say anything like that, and especially not to you. Are you kidding? I’m so lucky you didn’t marry some guy when you were 20, and I wasn’t even dating yet. Why would I ever say something like that to you? I thought it was clear on my end… I think things are going really well. I really see a future here.”

Her mind reeled. Wait, what had he actually said on that phone call? She knew she’d felt horrible after they hung up, and she was sure — reasonably sure — he commented about her being single, but was she projecting her own defensiveness and not accurately remembering what had happened? Would she bet her whole relationship on it?

“I… I’m confused,” she said, finally.