Page 13 of Falling for My Ex Next Door

“Wow, that’s a lot. I’m sorry for not being there with you.” I suddenly began to feel the full impact of guilt.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t with you all through those tough times. I can’t hold anything responsible for my inadequacy as a friend.” She expressed.

“I’m glad you called. You must be pleased with where you are now, right?”

“Sure, sure. The people here have this sort of pedestrian lifestyle that is so peaceful, despite how much mullah they have.”

“I’m glad to hear that. So when will you be coming? I want to prepare.”

“I don’t want to tell you that; I want to catch you unaware. I want you to anticipate my coming like a thief in the night!” She joked.

“I’m afraid I’m not very patient, Daisy.” I chuckled.

“You’ve never been too patient,” she laughed. “I’ll come sometime next week; I’ll let you know when in due time.”

“Daisy!”

“I love you, girlfriend!” She chirped. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“We sure do have a lot of catching up; it’s been three years.” I appeared to remind her of how long we had been separated.

“How are your parents? I’d like to see them one of these days.” She switched topics.

“They are well.”

“I can’t wait to see you again. We’ll have lots of fun. Bill’s on me.”

“Well, I can’t reject such a generous offer, thank you.” I chuckled.

The call ended, and the chat added a joyful twist to my day.

The chill of the rain from the previous day lingered on, although the sun shone resplendently across the clear skies.

As I locked up and prepared to go home, I wound a scarf I had selected from Aunt Madeline’s things around my neck, and carefully walked the lone path that led to the house. Few residents were around, so the streets were usually quiet and serene.

I had seen Old Napoleon before I left the coffee shop, and he had given me a pouch of peppermint sweets. He had said I was sure to love them; they were my aunt Madeline’s favorite snack.

I extracted one from the pouch and tucked it in my mouth. Sucking slowly at it, I savored the sweet taste and inhaled, feeling the coolness it gave to my senses.

It had been nice talking to Daisy again. She was still as confident and outspoken as I remembered her to be, and her voice still carried a child-like impression.

I smiled, recollecting the old times when we had been inseparable from high school and college.

We were still inseparable when she introduced me to Jacob, and we began dating.

She was the happiest for us. She always wanted us to be together. She never spoke ill of my relationship with her brother. We had still been inseparable until the terrible breakup before I decided to burn my bridges with the Bradleys. There were no open confrontations, but we all knew how we felt.

I had felt I wouldn’t be able to stand Daisy because she would only remind me of her brother. That was it. And I was so insensitive and selfish to consider what we shared as friends a long time before the appearance of Jacob. I was blinded by my pain, and I unconsciously lost touch with whatever we had had.

Daisy, I thought, must have felt something too. Perhaps it was not what I had felt. Maybe she just wanted to creep out, so I could have my space.

However, upon hearing her voice today after a long time, my heart leaped with joy. In the end, I still loved and wanted to be in her life.

A soft wind touched my face as I got closer to my house. Finally, I got to the front door and tried to open it, but a brief noise distracted me. I turned sideways, and I locked eyes with him.

Jacob Bradley.

At that moment, my breath seized. I felt lightheaded and couldn’t think at all.

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