13. Jewel
Chapter thirteen
Jewel
Nothing!
There’s been nothing for weeks. No messages. No calls. Absolutely nothing.
Will has up and disappeared. I flip my cell over on my cushion to check for messages. Then, realizing what I just did, I turn it back down again. I don’t want to be that person, waiting for a call that never comes.
My head is telling me to forget him. But my heart hasn’t caught up or doesn’t want to.
Will was special. He was the one who listened as I shared stories about my father and held me when I felt lonely.
Who never hesitated to step in and help when I needed it.
Like he could read my thoughts even before I could think them.
And he was the one person who I told things to that nobody else knew—not even Cara.
But now there’s nothing. It’s like Will walked into my life, took a look around, then left, slamming the door behind him.
Numbness and loneliness wrestle for ownership of the empty space left behind.
I hug my arms around my knees, taking another big gulp from the glass of tequila clasped in my hand.
The rejection cuts deep, not a scratch that will fade in weeks but a wound that will take months or years to heal, leaving a scar that will last a lifetime. All because I let myself fall for him at a time when I was at my most vulnerable.
A deeper ache takes root in my chest, spreading its tendrils wider. I recognize the familiarity of missing Dad. While I have Cara to talk to, what I miss most is being able to jump in my car to go see my dad. He would always be there with a hug and words of comfort whenever my heart was bruised.
My grief cracks open in a flood of tears that course down my cheeks, dripping onto my leggings. They aren’t tears over Will, at least not all of them. These tears are about losing the person who knew me best.
I give myself a moment to release the valve that has been holding back my emotions. Then, with another drink of courage-building tequila, I dry my eyes and scroll through my contacts to Will’s number and press to delete and block it.
It’s done. We’re done.