Page 61 of When I Come Back
“Every. Single. Day,” I respond, allowing each word their own space as I enunciate them. He laughs, but it isn’t humorous. It’s a laugh of disbelief, one that makes me look over at him so I can figure out where it’s coming from.
“What?” I ask.
“You know what I would give for someone to love me that much?”
“I—” He cuts me off before I even get a second word out.
“Listen, I know he fucked up. Believe me. But I’ve also seen the way he looks at you. I’ve seen the way you two ignite a room when you’re both in it. I also know youstilllove him. So why not just hear him out? Or at least give him the chance to make it right. Why are you fighting this so hard? I hate seeing you like this, Thea. If forgiving him will make you happy, maybe you should consider it.”
I’m shocked this is coming from Ripley of all people. “Forgive him? For making me fall back in love with him? For sleeping with me when he wasengagedto someone else? I’m fresh out of forgiveness, Rip. I can’t trust him to not break me.” Pausing, I take a deep breath. “I can’t believe anything he says. Every time he texts me something sweet or that he’s looking at houses here, all I can think is—is he lying to me again?He did that. He brokemy trust, possibly irreparably. It sure as hell isn’t fixable from thousands of miles away.”
Ripley stares at me, at a loss for what to say.
“I appreciate you wanting me to be happy, and I know you’re worried. I just… need to work through this,” I say.
He taps the table a couple of times with his fingers before he finally says, “That’s fair. And I can respect that. However, I know you aren’t sleeping again, and that’s a problem for me.”
I don’t respond. I’m not sure how. So we sit, sipping on the drinks in front of us.
After a few minutes, I break the silence lingering between us. “I think I’m going to go see my mom. Can you close up for me?”
“Yeah, of course. Just let me know you get there and back okay since I know you’ll refuse my offer to drive you.” That brings a small smile to my face, knowing he knows me well enough to not even ask.
“I will,” I say as I hop off the stool, grabbing his shoulder to pull him down so I can kiss his cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you, too,” he says as I walk away.
“Thea?” Margot calls from down the hall as I’m walking to my mom’s room. I stop and turn around as she makes her way to me.
“Hey, Margot,” I pause. “Sorry, I didn’t call ahead.”
She shakes her head as she speaks, “No, no, it’s okay. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright.”
“Oh, yeah, just needed to see my mom.” I smile to bury any upset that may show on my face.
“She’ll be thrilled. She told me you seemed really sad on Sunday, so she’s been worried about you,” she states, gesturing for me to follow her to the side of the hall so we aren’t blocking the path.
“It’s just been a rough week,” I assure her, hoping she’ll believe the half-lie.
“I get it. Hey, umm, while you’re here, can I ask you something, uhh, more personal?”
I tilt my head in curiosity, Margot usually keeps things between us professional. Though, me calling her to patch up Brooks probably warrants some kind of explanation. “If this is about me calling you to help out Brooks—”
She cuts me off, “Oh, no. Well, maybe kind of? Not exactly. I—sorry. No, not specifically about that. But about him, yes. Is he… okay?”
My brows furrow at her question. “What do you mean?”
I can tell she’s uncomfortable bringing this up.
“I—well, he wasn’t at the memorial. I assumed he would be, considering. And I tried texting him yesterday—just to check on his wounds!” she quickly adds, like I would assume differently. “I wanted to make sure he’s all right,” she finishes, the look on her face showing the same concern I’ve seen her have for a patient, but her cheeks have turned rosy.
“He does this. And I know you said it wasn’t about me calling you, but I am sorry I pulled you into that. I shouldn’t have breached that line between us. I’ll go check on him though. I need to speak to him anyway.”
That seems to settle something in her. “Okay. Good. I’m sure he’s fine. Like I said, I just wanted to check in. And really, don’t worry about the whole calling me thing. If I wasn’t comfortablewith it, I would have told you,” she insists. “Let me know if you and Lydia need anything while you’re here.”
I nod my head in thanks. “Yeah, for sure. And I’ll let you know what I find out about Brooks.”
With a nod, she walks away, and I make my way toward my mom’s room, preparing myself for the conversation we’re about to have.
