of all of us. But it’s been months now and Cherry never snapped out of it even after Kenzie made a full recovery and was back to her usual self. The few times she’s spoken to me, Cherry says the same thing…
Life is short, so why make promises?
It’s bullshit. And I don’t get what happened to my girl. It was like one minute she was the girl I’ve loved for the last three years, and the next she was running away like our time together meant nothing. I don't want to give up but I may not have a choice.
I stare at my phone as my thoughts spin. Should I text her? Should I try calling? Am I just setting myself up for bullshit failure again? Muscle memory takes over and I punch in the short four digit code to unlock my phone. Immediately, I’m greeted with a picture we took at the park the night I proposed.
That twinkle I love so much is in her eyes as she hugs me tightly, my big smile matching hers. I kept the photo on here as a reminder of the hope I had that she'd come back to me, that our shit was real. But I'm starting to feel like an ass.
I doubt she'll answer, but it would be the first call in about two weeks, so just maybe… I press send, then grit my teeth and listen to the cadence of the ringing as I press the phone against my ear. It feels like my heart syncs with its rhythm as I pull in steady breaths, trying to keep my shit under control. At least the air is fresh out here; definitely better than the city. My shoulders slouch the second I hear her voice ring over the speaker, telling me that she’s sorry she missed my call, and to leave a message after the beep. Same shit.
I feel myself sinking yet again, the realization of just how broken things are between us causing pain to stab through my chest. Before I let myself get too deep, I shake out of my haze and take a deep breath, blowing it out harshly, then I walk back into the house to say goodbye to Jordan. He's just coming down the stairs, somehow looking exhausted but relieved at the same time.
“She was right again,” Jordan says.
“Lalia is asleep, isn't she?”
“Like a rock.” He exhales with a stretch, then walks over to the couch and sits between the soft pillows.
“Sorry I couldn't help you pack up,” Jordan says. “Did you get everything? I can help now she’s down.“
“Yeah right,” I laugh. “The way you look right now I doubt you can even carry yourself up those stairs.”
“I'm fine.” He yawns.
“How are things going at Crill?”
“Great,” he says, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. “Satchi has been very understanding. It’s nice. He came off like a hard ass when he hired me but he has a soft spot after all.” Jordan ended up quitting his teacher assistant job shortly after he found out about Lalia. I remember him and Xia fighting a lot about it but he was convinced that, dream job or not, nothing was more important than his girls. So, he put his energy into finishing early.
“If the job is for me, then it will be for me,” he'd say.
Well, to all of our surprise, the job actually was for him. Jordan had zero expectation when he quit, but he explained everything. The baby, the plan for school. He just seemed so settled and confident in his choice. Satchi was apparently so caught off guard that he just stared at him for what felt like forever without speaking. Then out of nowhere he offered him a paid intern position at Crill.
“I'll start in about two weeks,” he says, his voice growing more relaxed the longer he lies there. “Della and Ben will be keeping Lalia while I work, and Zee goes to school.”
“Are they doing better?” Xia told me the situation with her parents and how she had a sister she didn’t know about—well, technically, two sisters. I can’t imagine what that must have felt like, but she seems to be dealing okay and plans to officially meet her half-sister for the first time this Christmas.
“Yeah.” Jordan yawns again before continuing. “Since Della came home from the hospital, Ben hasn't left her side. Zee said that they were in counseling, hoping to find a better way to work through the pain