Chapter 25
Sentimental Sap
Alek
As soon as I get home from the therapist, I start on the homework Lionel gave me.
A jolt of excitement runs through me at the thought of proving to Hayvin how much she means.
I can already see her eyes widen in disbelief when she unwraps the gift I’ve been planning—a collection of moments, memories, and truths I’ve kept to myself.
I’m not doing this to win her forgiveness.
Of course, I’d welcome it, but what Hayvin truly deserves is honesty.
I want her to see our story the way I do, to understand that this gift is me laying my heart open.
Switching jobs a few months back gave me more time at home and the space I needed to step away from David. Losing my best friend hurt like hell, but Jerica was right when she said David is just as messed up as the rest of us. I’m finally facing that truth, even if he refuses to.
I expected David to resist when I pulled away, but our friendship faded without a struggle. At first, the ease of it stung, but now I see this distance is what we both need right now.
I just hope he finds the help he needs, because I’d give anything to have my best friend back one day.
I settle at my desk, grabbing a pen and notepad before firing up my computer. My fingers tap a restless rhythm on the wood, impatience buzzing beneath my skin as the screen lags behind my urgency.
Letting out a sigh, I lean back and stare at the photo of Hayvin and me on my desk.
It was snapped just before Halloween, a year into our relationship, while we waited in line for a haunted house with Everleigh and her date.
Monsters prowled the crowd seeking people to scare, and I hugged Hayvin from behind, tucking her safely against me.
After those fuckers got their damn scare, she laughed up at me, and I couldn’t help but smirk back.
Everleigh caught that moment. It’s my favorite photo, even more than the one on my phone.
I’ve thought about turning it into a canvas for the wall, but that would have given away just how much she means to me.
So fucking stupid.
God, when did I let myself turn into this version of me?
“Finally,” I mutter when my login screen comes up.
I spend the next hour reviewing anything I can find on love languages. Lionel was right. Some people are skeptical about them, and I can understand why, but I’m using them as my guide to make this right with Hayvin, anyway.
Instead of choosing one to focus on, they all play a part in my journey of redemption.
I hope.
Physical touch comes last because I need her to know her importance to me without it.
I push back from my desk, rolling my neck and shoulders to chase away the stiffness from too long spent staring at the screen.
Keys in hand, I lock up and jog to my car, eager to hit the store and gather everything I need for my first gift.
Hours later, I dump the bags onto my bed and can’t help but laugh at myself. I might have gone a little overboard.
Scissors, many types of glue, rolls of tape, sheets of stickers, and colored and patterned paper land along the top of my mattress.
Shaking my head, I head to the closet for the box I’ve always kept hidden, only ever opening it when Hayvin was gone. Only now do I see how much I kept my feelings locked away from her.
Fuck, it’s no wonder she left my ass.
Opening the closet doors stings. The empty hangers dangle, lonely and waiting, a constant reminder of the woman who’s no longer here.
I hated the emptiness so much that I turned the closet into chaos, just like when Hayvin was here. Shoes are scattered, ties draped carelessly, and everything except my work suits is shoved onto shelves instead of folded neatly.
It basically resembles my life right now.
Complete disarray without Hayvin.
I rummage through the closet until I find the box, buried beneath a mess of things I barely recognize. It’s usually tucked away in its special spot, but I’ve pulled it out so many times since Hayvin left that I must have forgotten to put it back.
Anyone watching me carry this box would think it’s full of breakables. They’d be right, just not in the way they expect. It took Hayvin for me to realize how much of a sentimental sap I really am.
I set the box on the bed and carefully lift the lid, uncovering three years’ worth of memories I’ve kept tucked away.
One look inside this box, and anyone would see the truth I’ve been hiding in my heart.
Now it’s time to lay it all out for Hayvin, to finally show her not just what I’ve kept hidden, so she understands the depth of my feelings in every piece of this gift.