The porch light flips on, and the door opens.
I draw in a sharp breath at the sight of her. Hayvin’s hair is twisted into a messy knot, stray strands tumbling across her face, and my hands ache to smooth them away. She pushes her rainbow glasses up her nose, a gesture so familiar it tugs a smile from me. Her camisole, a word I only know because she’s said it so often, rides above her belly button, revealing the sparkling jewel I used to adore with my tongue.
Fuck, I miss her so damn much.
“What are you doing here, Alek?”
“I’m sorry for not realizing how late it is. I just wanted to bring this to you and didn’t think about anything else. Were you asleep?”
She shakes her head. “No. I was busy working on a song.”
A wave of sadness crashes over me as her throat tightens and she drops her chin. My heart twists, knowing I’m the reason she feels she can’t even share her music with me.
Gently, I hook my finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to mine. “Don’t hide, not because of me. You’re incredible, HayvinMarie. You deserve to shine. Don’t let anyone dim that light. You hear me?”
I offer her the gift box, watching surprise flicker across her face before she slowly reaches out and takes it from my hands.
“What is this?”
“It’s something I should have given you a long time ago. I messed up, never showing you how much you mean to me. This is my attempt to make it right.” I nod at the box in her hands. “It’s just the beginning. I know it won’t fix everything, but you deserve to know the truth. I made you feel like you weren’t the center of my world, and I’m so damn sorry for that. Tonight I want you to see our love through my eyes.”
I step closer until the box presses between us, and she looks up at me. Confusion dances in her beautiful eyes, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she studies me.
Reaching out, I gently free her lip and trace my thumb over the faint marks. “Get ready, baby girl. I’m coming for you. Get inside and lock the door.”
She stands frozen until I step back and lean against the porch post, waiting to make sure she’s safe before I leave. Hayvin glances at me one last time, her face a storm of uncertainty, before slipping inside. Only when I hear the alarm chirp do I finally turn and walk toward my car.
I hope she’s ready, because I have three years' worth of shitty behavior to make up for.
A Guy Who Tried
Hayvin
Neverinmywildestdreams did I imagine my ex would appear on my doorstep in the dead of night, bearing a gift and honeyed words that lingered in the air.
Even after his taillights dissolve into darkness, I linger in the foyer, clutching the gift as if it might shatter. The seconds crawl by. Dread prickles at my skin, each heartbeat amplifying the weight of what’s about to happen. Unwrapping it feels momentous. I still feel the scrape of his bandaged fingers against my chin, a silent testament to the effort and emotion he poured into this offering.
I don’t know what that means for me.
Is it going to change anything? Will I see him differently after I open it? Will I feel differently towards him?
At most, it might soften something inside me, but my hurt is too big for a gift to erase. I don't know if that will ever change.
I brace myself with a slow breath, place the gift in the center of the coffee table, and study it as if it might leap up and poison me. It seems like a threat, camouflaged by paper.
Can anything really hurt me more than I’ve been hurting, though?
My back snaps straight, and my jaw tightens.
No, it can’t.
Colors and their secret languages have always enchanted me, so my favorite hue shifts with my heart. The riot of shades in his chosen wrapping makes me pause, struck by his unexpected thoughtfulness.
Alek has given me gifts throughout our relationship, but I have yet to receive anything to this extent. It’s why I’m careful as I unwrap the messy wrapping paper.
I peel back the tissue paper, my heart thundering with a wild mix of anticipation and a flicker of delight for whatever waits inside.
A soft gasp escapes me, hands pressed to my lips as tears well up, blurring the world into shimmering light.
