Page 10 of Loving the Coach

Mindy smiles. “This means that it’s fate and you’re meant to be together. Let me give him your number and then see what happens. You don’t have to meet him again, if you don’t want to, but try and get some answers. Try and close out that chapter of your life if it’s what you want to do. Or enjoy some fun texting a really hot guy. You never know he might send you pictures of his cock.”

I burst out laughing. Mindy is so funny and secretly I wouldn’t mind those pictures. “Okay, give him my number.”

She smiles and texts him back. They then spend the next half an hour texting and Mindy blushes and walks away. God only knows what is happening in her room right now. Trixie touches my hand and nods at my phone which is on silent. I have a missed text. “Read it, see what he has to say. Give him a chance if you feel that he really is the one.” She gets up and goes into the kitchen.

I sit with my hands wrapped around my, now cold, coffee and stare at my phone. When I’ve garnered up enough courage I open the text and read it.

Garret: Hey, hope you didn’t mind me getting your number. I’m not ready to let you walk out of my life yet.

Angry, I reply.

Katie: I wasn’t ready for you to walk out of mine, but I didn’t have a choice.

Garret: I know and I’m sorry. Life was really hard without Dean and I just couldn’t cope. I had to have therapy. I watched him jump off that bridge, Katie. Do you know how hard it was that I couldn’t save him. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t save him. He would still be here if i had been able to save him.

I didn’t think of it like that. I just thought that he left me because he didn’t want to be with me.

Katie: No one could have saved him, but I thought you cared more for me than to just walk away. You could have called or texted me. Anything. Just so I could close that chapter of my life and move on. Instead I’ve been in limbo, wondering what I’ve done wrong to make you walk away and never come back.

Garret: I never meant for you to feel like that and I know it was a dick move. But seeing you last night made me have those feelings for you all over again. I’ve never gotten over you either. I was an arsehole. But I want to make it up to you, Katie.

Katie: I’m not sure, Garret. I was just starting to live my life in Hurtsboro. A new chapter in my life. A place I can forget about the past and start afresh. Then I saw you and I was transported right back to home.

Garret: Katie. I know that you don’t know what you want right now. But I want you to know that I want you Katie. So bad. I wanted to take you again this morning. I wanted to reinforce how I feel about you. I was so upset and then angry when you had left. I wanted to rip this town apart to find you. I want you to give me another chance, Katie. Please?

Shit What do I do? My heart is saying yes, but be careful. My head is saying that I must be out of my mind.

Katie: I don’t, Garret. I’m not sure I can cope with loving you again and seeing you walk away.

Garret: I’m not going to walk away this time, Katie. I promise.

Katie: I need to go slow, Garret. Can we just talk on the phone and stuff? I’m not ready to meet up again - at the moment.

Garret: If that’s all you can give me right now, then I’ll take it. I’ll take whatever you’ll give me. Does that mean I can ring you?

I wait for a couple of minutes before I reply. Do I want to hear his voice? Yes, of course. Will I be able to keep it together? Probably not.

Katie: I’d like that Garret.

As soon as my message is sent, my phone rings. I answer it and my heart is racing.

“Hey, Kitty Kat.” And just like that I am taken back to when I first fell for him.

CHAPTER 9

GARRET

Reaching for my cell as I do every morning, I fire off a text to Katie. She’s my first thought in the morning and my last before sleep takes me and every single one in between. It’s been three weeks since she’s been back in my life and we’re still taking it slow. We’ve not seen each other since that night in the bar but we talk everyday. I get that she’s hurting and it’s down to me. I fucked up and I’m going to do everything in my power to take that pain away and never hurt her again.

Garret: Morning Kitty Kat.

As usual she doesn’t leave me waiting very long to get a reply.

Katie: Morning, Garret.

Garret: Have a great day, beautiful.

Katie: You too, handsome.

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