Please, Garrett. Call me. Let me explain.
I ignored it, just like I’d ignored all the others, as I shoved my phone in my desk drawer.
By eight o’clock, my back was aching from sitting in my chair too long, and my eyes were starting to cross. Pretty much everyone else in the office had already left. I shut down my computer and picked up the empty Starbucks cup from earlier. I added it to the pile that had accumulated in the trash can throughout the day.
I’d become him again—the old Garrett, the workaholic who survived on caffeine and coasted through life because he was too afraid to slow down and try to enjoy it.
Without her, I didn’t know any other way. Without her, I was nothing.
I took the long way home, taking side streets and turns I didn’t have to, just so I wouldn’t have to spend any more time than necessary in that dark, empty apartment.
I hated it there. It was too quiet. Every tiny sound, curse, or utterance seemed to be sucked into those claustrophobic white walls. My sheets still smelled like her, and as much as I needed to, I couldn’t bring myself to wash them. I’d lie in my bed, night after night, drinking in that sweet citrusy smell, torturing myself, until sleep would finally pull me into its hellish embrace.
After delaying the inevitable as much as possible, I pulled up to the curb and walked the short distance to my apartment. The sounds of my feet hitting the stairs echoed throughout the hollow space as I made my way upward. I fished out my keys and unlocked the door, pushing it open with my foot. There, sitting on my couch and flipping through channels like she was competing with someone for a speed award, was Leah.
“How the hell did you get in here?” I asked rudely.
“You gave me a key. Remember, Goober?”
“No.”
“Well, you did.”
She flicked the TV off and remained seated as I dropped my keys on the counter. I pulled out a bottle of whiskey from the top of the refrigerator and poured a decent amount of the bottle into a glass from the cabinet.
“Dinner?” she asked.
I joined her in the living room with my substantial glass of amber-colored booze. “Yep,” I answered stoically.
Her eyes swept over me in an appraising fashion, obviously taking note of the new look I was sporting. Her eyes lingered over my disheveled hair and three days’ worth of stubble.
“You look like shit,” she finally said.
“Well, thanks. Love you, too.” I took a long sip from my glass and let the liquid slowly burn down my parched throat.
“When was the last time you ate?”
I raised my eyebrow and shook my head. “Are you my mother now, Leah?”
“Well, when you’re acting like a child, what do you expect me to do?
“I am not acting like a child!” I shouted. The force of my anger caused my drink to slosh forward, dripping down the glass and onto my hands.
Leah cocked an eyebrow and folded her arms, but she remained quiet.
“Mia and I broke up,” I said, the words feeling like gravel against my throat.
“I know, although storming out of her house without so much as a parting word isn’t much of a breakup, Garrett.”
I should have guessed as much. “Is that why you’re here? You think you can kick my ass into shape and make everything better, Leah?”
“Yes. I was the chosen one to come over and try to knock some sense into you,” she confessed.
“Look, you don’t understand—” I started to explain, but she held up a hand, quickly cutting me off.
“She told me everything, Garrett.”
“What?”
“Mia told me everything—the pregnancy, engagement, how she ran off, and the life she had before she came back.”
“You mean, the fiancé she failed to mention,” I bit out angrily. I took another swig from my glass, but all I got was ice. Damn, that hadn’t lasted long.
“Did you ask her if she was engaged, Garrett?” Leah asked rather pointedly.
I walked back into the kitchen for a refill.
“I didn’t have to. He was standing right there, and it’s not like she ran after me when I bailed.”
I unscrewed the cap from the half-empty bottle and bent the tip toward my glass, but I was stopped. Tiny fingers wrapped around the bottle as judgmental blue eyes bored into me.
“Now, you’re starting to piss me off,” I said, pushing off the counter.
I dumped my glass into the sink where it joined several others. There were no plates, just lonely empty glasses. I guessed it had been a while since I’d eaten. Whiskey and coffee had become my new staples.
“Good. At least you’ll be feeling something other than sorry for yourself!”
I swiveled my head, the alcohol now doing its job of making everything feel loose and numb, and looked at her. “She f**king destroyed me!” I roared. “Again!”
Feeling weak, I braced myself against the counter and hung my head in defeat. I felt Leah’s warm touch as she rubbed my back.
“You need to talk to her, Garrett. Give her a chance. Please. There are so many things you don’t understand, so many things that aren’t my place to tell you. You can’t end a relationship like this, Garrett. This is your life. Don’t walk away from something based on assumptions and miscommunications. You both deserve more than this. So, please, go talk to her.”
I lost the will to fight her, so I agreed. If she thought this would fix everything, I was happy to prove her wrong.
In the morning, I’d be knocking on Mia’s door for the last time.
This time, I was saying good-bye.
~Mia~
I’d let him walk away.
I had just stood there as he stormed out the door, leaving me and my mangled heart behind.
Over the last week, I’d spent every waking minute reliving those nightmarish moments. I’d been joyously happy in those brief seconds before we stepped in my house, laughing and joking with Garrett after we’d spent a beautiful night at the river, and then everything had shattered when we found Aiden standing in my living room.
I should have known he would come for me after the endless phone calls, the flowers, and then the letters I’d refused to acknowledge. Without bothering to open them, I’d shoved them in a box that I hid in the back of my closet. Maybe if I had read them, I would have realized his intentions.
I’d been so angry with Aiden as I watched through blurry, tear-filled eyes when Garrett ran out of the house, believing I was the worst sort of person on the planet.
“Why did you say that?” I screamed.