It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (z-lib.org).epub

“Yeah. If you like stale bread. Bye, Mom.” I hang up and look at Ryle. “I
don’t want to go back there. I didn’t like it. Let’s try something new.”
I fail to tell him why I really don’t want to go back there. But how do you
tell your brand-new boyfriend that you’re trying to avoid your first love?
Ryle pushes off the wall. “You’ll be fine,” he says. “Allysa’s excited to eat
there, I told her all about it.”
Maybe I’ll get lucky and Atlas won’t be working.
“Speaking of food,” Ryle says. “I’m starving.”
The casserole!
“Oh shit!” I say, laughing.
Ryle rushes to the kitchen and I stand up and follow him in there. I
walk in just as he pulls the oven door open and waves away the smoke.
Ruined.
I get dizzy all of a sudden from standing up too fast after having three
glasses of wine. I grab the counter beside him to steady myself, just as he
reaches in to pull the burnt casserole out.
“Ryle! You need a . . .”
“Shit!” he yells.
“Pot holder.”
The casserole falls from his hand and lands on the floor, shattering
everywhere. I lift up my feet to avoid broken glass and mushroom chicken
splatter. I start laughing as soon as I realize he didn’t even think to use a
pot holder.
Must be the wine. This is some seriously strong wine.
He slams the oven shut and moves to the faucet, shoving his hand
under the cold water, muttering curse words. I’m trying to suppress my
laughter, but the wine and the ridiculousness of the last few seconds are
making it hard. I look at the floor—at the mess we’re about to have to
clean up—and the laughter bursts from me. I’m still laughing as I lean
over to get a look at Ryle’s hand. I hope he didn’t hurt it too bad.
I’m instantly not laughing anymore. I’m on the floor, my hand pressed
against the corner of my eye.
In a matter of one second, Ryle’s arm came out of nowhere and
slammed against me, knocking me backward. There was enough force
behind it to knock me off balance. When I lost my footing, I hit my face on
one of the cabinet door handles as I came down.
Pain shoots through the corner of my eye, right near my temple.