Page 42 of Frozen Hearts

“What do you want?” Mel’s tone took on an unfamiliar note, concern or resignation maybe.

“I don’t know what I want. I just know that I need to talk things out with her.” Her words came out more of a whisper than she’d intended.

“I don’t understand. You just told me you were falling in love with me,” Mel protested. Willow felt her heart crack a little.

“I do love you. I just need to see this through. For closure if nothing else,” Willow explained.

“I do understand the need for closure. I think it’s best if we take a break while you figure out your situation. Now if you want to explore things with Amy, you’re free to do so.” Mel’s words were emotionless, but Willow knew that was a cover. A disguise that Mel used to cover what she was actually feeling.

“Okay. If that’s what you want,” Willow managed to make her words sound bold and confident.

“No, Willow. This isn’t what I want. None of this is what I want. But if you need figure some things out about your feelings towards Amy, I won’t stand in your way.”

Mel was being more than fair, and Willow knew that.

“Thank you.” It was the only thing left to say. Mel hung up without saying goodbye. The ringtone was harsh in Willow’s ears.

Mel was right down the street, but she may as well have been a hundred miles away. Willow knew that she had put distance in their relationship. She hated herself for that. But if she didn’t give herself the opportunity for closure with Amy, she would always have questions. Willow had her doubts that she would be able to sleep. But Willow closed her eyes and remembered how it felt to hold Mel in her arms. It was a struggle but after a few hours Willow fell into a fitful sleep.

Chapter 17

Mel shouldn’t have turned around. She shouldn’t have felt compelled to throw one more look over her shoulder. But she had. And she had seen Amy reach up to touch Willow’s face. How many times had she extended the same gesture to Willow? It had hurt to watch that moment play out in front off her. Mel did what she always did when she felt herself cracking, she shut down. By the time Willow had called, Mel was practically made out of stone. Mel couldn’t believe how the night had gone from magic to heartbreak.

Mel glanced down at her phone and felt a knot in her stomach. She had given Willow the freedom to explore what she needed to, but would that come back to bite her? Mel texted Brianna to ask if she wanted to come over. Brianna agreed almost immediately. Brianna arrived at her door in record time. She gave a courtesy knock and waited for Mel to yell for her to come in. The formality of it made Mel smile. Mel sat stretched out on her couch, covered in a blanket.

“Honey, what’s going on here?” Brianna asked with concern.

“I had a bad night,” Mel said. She let a few tears fall from her eyes.

Brianna was at her side in a moment. Mel held up one end of the blanket and Brianna scooted under it, she wrapped an arm around Mel. This is what actual safety felt like. Someone who loved her for no other reason than because she’d chosen to.

“What happened? Did meeting Willow’s friends not go well?” Brianna asked. Mel knew she had a lot to fill her friend in on.

“Actually, that went really well. I love her friends and they love me too.”

“Then what happened?” Brianna asked.

“When we got home, we discovered that Willow’s mom had tracked down her ex.”

“Okay. That’s a choice.”

“And invited her to the house,” Mel punctuated. She watched as Brianna lifted her eyebrows.

“What did Willow say?”

“She basically escorted me out so that she could talk to Amy,” Mel frowned as more tears came out.

“Is it wrong that I expected her to just tell Amy to leave?” Mel asked.

“No, it isn’t wrong. You guys have put a definition on the relationship. That doesn’t change just because her ex comes around.”

“Exactly. Tonight, she told me she was in love with me. Then less an hour later she’s asking me to leave so she can talk to ex,” Mel cried.

“Willow definitely could have handled that better. But it sounds like she was just as surprised as you were. So maybe she just needs to have a conversation with Amy for the sake of closure,” Brianna offered.

“Maybe,” Mel admitted.

“What do you need right now?”

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