“Who are you to tell me what to do? This is my family and it’s none of your business,” I shouted.
“You made it my business!” He pointed his finger to the floor.
Anger tore up inside me. How dare he.
“Well, I’m making it your un-business. I spent my entire life listening to what other people told me I had to do and I won’t stand here and listen to it from some guy that I’ve only known a few weeks.”
“Is that all I am to you? Some guy you’ve only known a few weeks?”
Shit.
“You’re my friend, Drew, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but this is my life and what goes is what I say. Not what anyone else says.”
“I’m your friend, eh?” His voice lowered as he placed his hands in his pants pockets.
“Of course. What else would you be?”
“Nothing. I’m going to go. Do what you think is best for you in regard to your father. I’ll see you around, Jillian,” he spoke as he walked towards the door.
“Drew, I’m sorry. I need you to understand. My life is seriously complicated right now.”
Placing his hand on the doorknob, he lowered his head.
“I do understand.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Drew
In an instant, my heart was broken. She obviously didn’t feel the same way as I felt about her. I saw the look on her face at my parents’ house when I said the word “us.” There was fear in her eyes. Did I truly understand? Sort of. As much as I tried to respect her decision about her self-journey, I had hoped that she would change her mind and that I made her life a little less complicated. I was wrong. Maybe I moved too fast. But that couldn’t be helped. She had me the minute she stepped onto the plane and sat down next to me. I’d broken up with many women in my life and I’d never felt this kind of pain before. We were perfect together and for each other. She filled a void in my life that I never knew existed. How the fuck was I going to get over her?
The next morning as I was in the kitchen sipping on some coffee and wallowing in self-pity, Jane walked through the door.
“Good morning, Drew.” She brightly smiled.
“Hey, Jane.” I glanced up at her. “Why are you here? It’s your day off.”
“I needed to check on some things in the pantry. I’m heading to the grocery store today, so I want to make sure I don’t forget anything. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You can’t fool me, Drew. I know when something is wrong.” She walked over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Does this have something to do with Jillian?” she asked as she took a seat next to me.
“I’m pretty sure we won’t be seeing each other anymore.”
“What? Why?”
“Her life is complicated right now, as she says. The day I met her on the plane was her wedding day and she had just left her fiancé at the altar. It’s a long story.”
“I see. So she’s not ready to jump into another relationship yet. That’s understandable. Just give her some time, she’ll come around. You are a very hard man to resist.”
“She’s on a self-discovery journey and I’ve known that. She made it very clear when we first met on the plane. I was trying to be careful and respect that, but I moved too fast. I lost her, Jane.”
“Give her some space. Let her discover herself and then she’ll come back to you. I know she will. Patience is a virtue, Drew.”
“Patience is something I don’t have when it comes to her. I feel destroyed inside.”
“That’s because you love her. Love hurts. You’ve never truly been in love, so this is new to you. If you love her that much, then you’ll let her go. Let her do what she needs to do. Isn’t her happiness all you want?”
Taking the last sip of coffee from my cup, I sighed as I looked over at Jane.
“Yes. I just want her to be happy and live the life she wants and deserves.”
“Then there you have it.” She patted my back. “Sometimes letting go of the things we love is the hardest part of life. But if she was meant to be yours and you were meant to be hers, you’ll find your way back to each other. Don’t lose yourself in the process, Drew. Stay strong and hold on to that little bit of hope.”
“Thanks, Jane.”
“You’re welcome. I’m off to the grocery store. I’ll see you in the morning.”
****
Jillian