“Jia… what’s up, you’re scaring me.” Anya reached across the table and covered my hands with hers.
I blew out a sharp breath, dabbed at the corners of my eyes and stared at her.
“A lot has happened since we last spoke.” I sighed.
“It looks that way. I’m sorry I wasn’t around. I feel bad. It’s like I ditched you.”
“No.” I moved my hands to hers now to give her a gentle squeeze. “No, it’s so good to hear you talk about a guy the way you are. It makes me so happy. It’s what I want for you. I want you to be happy and be with someone who deserves you. It’s been too long with you being with someone who didn’t.” It was years of her and Marc.
She couldn’t cut his cheating ass loose because she’d loved him. I understood that but it didn’t mean I couldn’t still want the best for her.
“Thank you, Jia. I like Tim. He’s great and we seem to be into each other a lot. It seems promising and I’m excited, but I’m worried about you again. I guess I hoped things would take off for you and Xander.” She gave me a saucy smile. “Especially after that kiss.”
That kiss she’d seen seemed like such a long time ago now.
He’d kissed me at the coffeehouse. She saw and I felt like just maybe things would be okay.
Promising was what they’d been and they were for maybe a handful of days.
That was all we’d had. Days.
I shook my head. “No, it didn’t work out.”
I took a breath. A deep one and then I told her everything.
Usually I held back on some stuff when we talked. This time I told her what was relevant and could be classed as everything to do with me. So I left out the part about Xander being after Pa, but I told her that Pa threatened to have him killed if I kept seeing him.
On this occasion I knew something of weight was needed, to explain why I wasn’t going to fight for the man I wanted to be with.
Truth be told that was the explanation of why. Although there would have been a lot more to factor in with Xander’s secret. By the time I finished both of us were drying our eyes.
“Your father can’t do that Jia, it’s so wrong.” She shook her head.
“I know, but I don’t know what to do other than what I’m told.”
“God… and this is happening on Monday. You’re leaving onMonday?” Her voice came out in a hurried babble.
I nodded.
“Monday. Yes. That’s when I leave.”
Pa had even given Armand our travel details and the other day he told me to do whatever shopping I needed to and see my friends to say my goodbyes.
It was really happening.
“Jia. This is …” She stopped mid-sentence and brought her hands together. “I know how things work in your family and who your father is. Over the years I’ve tried to just be as supportive as I can but it’s been hard. This is the worst. I feel as helpless as I did when your Ma died. Like I can’t do anything to make it right.”
I appreciated her words.
In all these years I knew one thing was for certain and that was our friendship.
I had her. She was the kind of person who you could talk to and not tell the full story, but she’d listen. In my case she knew that there was more to tell and I was being selective. She knew that what I’d shared was what I could share.
“This helps.” I gave her the first genuine smile of the day.
“How am I supposed to watch you marry that creep? Really Jia? The same way you want good for me, I want that for you too. Hope sparked my heart when I saw Xander. You looked happy.” She nodded with keen determination.
“I was… Anya, please don’t worry about me. It felt like the world ended when Ma was killed. I think it kind of did. It crumbled as I’d watched, but I bounced back. Somehow I found strength from somewhere and bounced back. I have to do the same now. I guess in comparison to what happened to Ma this is minor.”
