“Will you ever be able to truly forgive me, Charlie?” I ask, suddenly so fucking terrified that I choke on it.
Charlie doesn’t answer for the longest time. Her eyes roam over me, weighted thoughts behind them. She closes her lids, and I watch as peace blossoms across her face.
“I forgive you, Keaton, but it won’t be that easy. I don’t trust you.”
“Knowing you forgive me is enough for now. I won’t stop working to rebuild the trust I broke.”
“I hope so, because it’s going to be hard for this reconciliation if you don’t,” Charlie informs me with a gentle smile.
“For real?” I choke out, fucking crying again.
Charlie leans forward and rests her head against mine as she whispers, “For real.”
“Thank you.” I grasp her face and nuzzle it, gliding my lips over her forehead. “Thank you.” Her eyes close as my lips cross them. “Thank you.” Down her nose. “Thank you.” Then I reach her lips and caress them with mine. “I’ll do my best to not make you regret it.”
“I won’t regret giving this version of you a chance, regardless of what happens between us.”
I still can’t believe I’ve been given a second chance with the love of my life. I’m determined not to waste it. The pain I caused will haunt me forever, a constant reminder of what happens when love is neglected. It’s a warning about how frighteningly easy it is to become someone you don’t recognize. I used to think, like everyone else, that it could never be me. I loved her too much. I was wrong.
Until it happened.
I’ll never say it couldn’t be me again. Now I know just how easily itcan happen.
Loveisenough if you keep feeding it. Let it starve, and it withers away.
The scars Charlie and I carry are proof of what happens when love is left untended.
Broken Friendships Mended
Keaton
CheatingonCharliedidn’tjust wreck what we had. It shattered my friendship with Amelia, too. She was my ride-or-die, and I torched that trust the moment I betrayed Charlie. Since then, our conversations have been rare, mostly consisting of her verbally tearing me apart for what I did. Amelia tried to hide her pain, but every now and then, when she was letting me have it, I’d catch a flicker of hurt in her eyes.
I asked Charlie last night if she thought Amelia would be open to hearing me out, and she gave me a soft smile that seems to come easier to her now. She laid her hand over mine on the table and told me that Amelia has actually been an advocate for me lately. That news choked me up because I never expected to gain forgiveness from her. I’ve witnessed the grudges she holds, and they’re mean as fuck.
All day, I’ve been psyching myself up to call her, hoping she’ll agree to meet. An apology like this can’t be phoned in. It needs to be face-to-face, or it won’t mean a thing.
Leaning on the counter, I glare at my phone, willing myself to quit stalling. It’s not like it’d be the first time Mel busted my balls, but man, she’s scary as hell when she’s pissed.
Leaning on the counter, I glare at my phone, willing myself to quit stalling.
“Stop being a little bitch,” I mumble, lifting my phone with a sigh.
Before I can chicken the fuck out again, I pull up her contact and jab the call button.
My fingers tap a nervous rhythm on the marble as the phone rings, each echo bouncing around my empty apartment.
“Oh, look. The little weeny wagon has finally chosen to call me,” Amelia drawls when she answers.
I shake my head, a laugh slipping out. Classic Amelia. “Sorry it took me so long to call.”
Amelia blows out a breath. “What do you want, Keaton?”
“Do you have time to meet with me?”
She snorts. “Why the hell would I do that?”
“Because Charlie’s not the only one I owe an apology to.” She grumbles, but I press on. “I hurt you when I cheated on Charlie, and I know it.”
