Those words made instant tears spring to Tati's eyes. No matter how often she told herself she was over that man, hearing that he was over her still made her want to cry. She hated herself for that. She should be stronger than that by now. But she still felt like the weak woman who'd run away as soon as she found out what he'd done.
Though she knew it was toxic, she wanted him to keep looking for her. She'd wanted him to find her and force her to come home. She'd wanted him to yell at her for leaving and order her never to leave again. But that never happened. He'd never found her, despite the clues she'd left behind during her weak moments. And it was all because ofhim.
"Did you hear me, Tati?"
Tati blinked. "Huh? Sorry. I didn't hear you."
"I said I'm texting you her number. Be sure to call through the app. And after you talk to her, call me back."
"I will."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Tati nodded, then remembered that her mom couldn't see her. "I'm fine, ma. You need to get some sleep. It's six thirty in the morning here, which means it's almost one a.m. there. You should be asleep."
"I can't sleep with your father's snoring. I'm up watching some reality television."
"That stuff isn't good for your brain, ma."
"Neither is all that anime crap you watch."
"Careful, woman. Don't talk about my animes."
"How can a grown-ass woman be in love with a fictional character? What is his name, Kakashen?"
"Kakashi, and I'm going to need you to put some respect on your future son-in-law's name."
"You know what, if I could get a grandchild out of the deal, I'd be okay with you marrying a fake man."
"Ugh!" Tatianna groaned. "Please don't start on this grandchild stuff again."
"I'm sure there are some handsome men in Paris. I mean, it's the city of love, after all."
"Mom, I'm too busy to fall in love."
"So, are you telling me you haven't had sex at all since you've been there?"
"I'm not having this conversation with you, mom."
"Have you even seen a penis since you moved there?"
"Mom!"
"Don't yell at me. And sex is an important part of life. It's... It's... self-care."
"I'm pretty sure it's not."
"When done right, it is."
Tati sighed. Though she wouldn't tell her mother this, she agreed with her. Dick was definitely self-care. And she hadn't been taking care of herself properly. But how could she, when every guy she went on a date with either bored her, disgusted her or failed to live up to the high ass standard that Bryceson had set?
It was hard to go from dating Mr. Right to dating Mr. Can Do No Right. Tati massaged her forehead as her mother continued telling her why not having sex could be bad for her health. Tati was a firm believer that sex with the wrong person could also be bad for her health. Unable to listen to more of her mom’s ranting, Tati interrupted her mother.
"The text with Julia's number just came through. I'm going to call her now and then call you back, mom."
"Oh, okay. Call me right after you hang up with her."
"Okay, mom."