Page 123 of A Chance for Us
Stella: Hey, can you call me? I know you guys aren’t in the best place, but . . . well, I got your wedding photos back, and also, I’d just like to talk.
Me: Sure, can you talk now?
Stella: Give me five minutes, and I’ll call.
I watch the clock, seconds seeming to take longer than normal, and then the phone rings.
“Hi,” I say, my throat scratchy.
“You sound as good as he looks.”
“Thanks. Listen, I don’t know what happened, but it didn’t go as I planned,” I explain. “I love your brother, and if you want to yell at me, all I ask is that you please give me another day or two, at least until I can stop crying for more than twenty minutes.”
“Oh, Maren, I wasn’t going to yell.” Stella’s voice is full of sympathy. “I would if you didn’t sound like you’ve been crying for days, but . . . you do. However, I don’t understand what in the world is going on.”
“Oliver made a few comments about being second choice and never being the guy, but I love him. He’s my first choice. So, I figured if we ended the marriage and dated instead, he would see that it was my way of choosing him instead of us being together because of a series of insane events.”
“Right . . .” She inhales quickly. “Oh, no. You were giving up the fake marriage to have a real relationship.”
See, she gets it. “Exactly!”
“But the execution of it . . .”
“Was bad,” I admit.
“Have you . . . called him?”
I chew on my lower lip. “I can’t. What he said, maybe he’s right. Maybe I am a liar, and I don’t know what love is.”
Stella huffs. “He said that?”
“I hurt him,” I say with the tears pooling again. “I think that maybe . . . we need time. Time to be apart and to see if this is real or if we were caught up in the fantasy. Maybe the end was inevitable.”
Stella sighs. “I’m not sure what the right thing is, but you love each other, and I hope you can work it out.”
The sad part is, I don’t know if that’s what should happen. Love doesn’t mean a relationship can work. We have distance, mistrust, and hurt between us, so can we even get past all of that? My heart wants to say yes, but my head is telling me I’m wrong.
All I’ve done is listen to my heart, and look where that got me.
“Time will tell, I guess.”
“I guess. Do you want to see the wedding photos?” she asks.
“You can send them over, and I’ll look at them when I feel emotionally stable,” I say with a laugh.
“All right. Listen, I’m going to just say this and then never bring it up again. You two need to talk. I think a lot of this can be resolved, and . . . he needs you.”
“He made it clear he doesn’t.”
“He’s a man and dumb.”
There’s a knock on my office door, and I lift my finger. “I have to go back to work. Thank you for everything, Stella. Truly, you became a part of my life and a sister when I needed one. If you ever need anything, please call.”
“I will, and . . . well, goodbye.”
“Bye.”
I hang up, blink away the tears, and turn to the person waiting in my doorway.
