Page 65 of Your Biggest Downfall
“Go out, Nova girl.” Mae pointed at Mami. “She’s going home tonight, and I’ll take care of everything. Thankfully, it was a small issue with the port not being fully open—nothing serious, right, Cecilia?”
“Exactly,” Mami said confidently.
Austin turned his attention to me. “So, what do you say? Will you go out with me, Nova?”
A heavy silence filled the room as my thoughts raced. Logically, I should say no, stand my ground, but there was so much tension in the room. My mom’s eyes were wide as she waited for me to answer. More than anything, she wanted to see me happy and know I was taken care of when she was no longer here.
Maybe I could give that to her. I could go out with Austin, and he could provide me with financial and physical stability, but I wasn’t sure he could meet my emotional needs. I wasn’t the kind of girl who partied hard on the weekends, and honestly, I wasn’t interested in a guy who did either. Yes, I wanted an escape from the mess that was my life, but I also realizedI needed to face reality. A temporary escape was just that—temporary.
“Please,” he begged softly.
Mae clicked her tongue. “When a man says please, you say yes, mija.”
“I—”
“Say yes, Nova,” my mother urged.
I bounced between the three of them. There was so much pressure—too much for me to handle.
“I need to go.” I looked down at my phone, which was definitely not ringing, and then back up at everyone in the room. “I’ll see you at home, Mami.” My words tumbled out quickly as I snatched my bag off the floor, kissed her goodbye, and bolted out the door without a second glance at Austin. The sounds of movement behind me and footsteps in the hallway only made my pulse race faster.
I stepped into the elevator and frantically jabbed the button to close the door, my heart pounding as I heard him shout my name. Panic coursed through me. I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t ready to confront the shame of that night. I wasn’t ready to face him after everything that had happened. There was too much to unpack, too many emotions tangled up in this mess, and I couldn’t go there with him. Not now.
The elevator dinged, and I rushed toward the parking lot, my thoughts spiraling out of control. I didn’t even know why I was leaving. Mami needed me. If I hid in my car for a while, I could clear my head and figure out what to do next. Mami’s pressure was suffocating—yes, Austin was a good guy, but was he ready to have these hard conversations? He’d just gotten out of rehab, and I felt an overwhelming responsibility to protect him, to make sure he wasn’t stressed or anxious. And then there was Mami, sick and...
“Fuck,” I cried, my voice breaking as the tears came.
Nothing made sense anymore.
I was walking through the parking lot when I heard my name.
I wouldn’t turn around. I couldn’t.
“Nova.”
I swallowed, forcing my feet forward.
“Nova,” he shouted.
It was getting closer—he was getting closer.
A few more feet and I could see my car in the parking lot. Thankfully, a bridge connected the top of the parking lot to the sidewalk, so I didn’t have to ride up another elevator. I could cross the bridge, and I would be right there.
“Stop.” Two hands wrapped around my waist, flinging me forward.
“Please,” I cried. “Let me go.”
I kicked like a child having a tantrum, not caring that all the doctors, nurses, and patients would see me having a fit.
“Put me down,” I demanded.
“Not until you promise to listen to me.”
“I have nothing to say and certainly nothing to hear.”
“Nova,” he said sternly. “I have so much to apologize for.”
“No, you don’t,” I replied. “It’s fine.”
