CHAPTER 124

Geneveive Tessa Robert

Rain. The silent drips remind me of the third time I went on a date with Kyle King. I had just gotten off of a call from mom. Another disagreement on the choice of man I was planning to spend the rest of my life with. He had listened as I rattled about my parents and how controlling they could be. Back then, I hated James, and I blamed their attitude on him. The next thing he did had never left me till this day. He stood up, kneel before me, and brought out a ring. We were married the next weekend.

‘I have told you to stop dwelling on the past. It won’t change anything, Tessa.’ Vera said, handing me a cup of steaming tea. 

I smiled, taking the cup. ‘Thank you, Vera. You’re the best clairvoyant that I know in the world. I was just reminiscing about the few happy memories I had in the past. That’s not bad, right?’

She shook her head. ‘It isn't, but you’re still holding onto the past, and it’s depriving you of being happy.’

I sighed, wondering why I had insisted she stopped by when I knew she would never change, only saying what she believed was best for me. Don’t get me wrong. I love my best friend, but sometimes she can be annoying. I glanced at the diamond-studded ring shining on her finger. Vera had finally gotten married. It was still strange to think about.

‘I am happy, Vera. He’s been visiting the kids, and we have gone on a few dates. What else do you want from me?’

‘I want you to stop holding yourself back from being loved and being in love. You made me believe in love, babe. That’s why I allowed Murphy in. If you hadn’t been on my neck, I would still be a single woman with a stupid idea of how open relationships should be.’

I laughed, ‘Right, dear. I still can’t believe you got married finally. My mom hasn’t stopped talking about your wedding to her social circle. They all believed you would never settle down.’

She chuckled, not looking dissatisfied. ‘My parents too. I still can’t forget the shock on their faces when I told them about Murphy’s marriage proposal. But back to the topic, Tessa. Do you love him?’

I looked up at her, not knowing if I should let my head or my heart do the speaking. My heart seemed to yearn for him, but my head told me to take my time and not rush things. I might have fallen in love with him years ago, but that was then, and this is now. I could feel Estella’s words float into the room. I had given him a chance, and that was enough for him.

‘I don’t love him, Vera, yet.’ I bit my bottom lip, wondering why I had added the last part. ‘I have always loved him, but I stopped. I already told him I couldn’t just start relearning how to love him again. It will take a lot from me, and I am not ready for that.’

She hummed, ‘Okay, girl. I won’t say anymore again, but forget the past, okay? You have done enough damage to him already. He lost his company to you; Avaline is in jail, and he has knelt several times to apologise.’

I laughed sardonically. ‘That’s not enough to express your love to someone or to show that you’re truly remorseful for what you did. I haven’t seen him shed tears, though.’

‘Gosh, Tessa. Don’t tell me you want to do this! I spoke to him during the wedding, and it was so obvious—you already have him wrapped around your finger. The man kept glancing your way, and I had to cough a zillion times to make him focus.’

I stood up, apparently bored with the conversation. ‘The rain has stopped. Are we still hitting the movie theatre, or do you want to stay home?’

She rolled her eyes. Her response whenever something irritated her. ‘Fine, I give up. Let’s stay home and enjoy that comedy show that James loves. What’s it called?’

‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S? That’s old. Who still watches that series?’ I asked, changing the channel.

‘You, your brother, and I. At least we can watch it while I tell you about my honeymoon.’

I squealed as I dropped on the couch and dragged a pillow. She smiled and started with her first day of experience in China. I got lost in her gist when she mentioned sushi and fish soup. They were Kyle’s favorites. I don’t know if it still is. I had to learn to prepare it perfectly when we got married. He couldn’t do without sushi twice a week. He also loved lemonade juice. I didn’t know if he still loved them, and a part of me wanted to know.

After the comedy show, Vera helped me complete a business plan for a particular idea a client had sent and also build the proposal. We did a brief review of the plan and decided not to send the proposal until the client accepted it.

We fell on the master bed by ten o’clock and gisted about work activities, parties we attended in high school, and my parents. Vera suddenly became quiet, glancing at her side. I noticed she had fallen asleep.

I looked up at the ceiling, allowing myself to think of nothing for a while. My phone buzzed. Kyle.

‘Hi, Tessa. I just arrived in Nashville. I will call you tomorrow, if you don’t mind.’

I sighed, suddenly remembering he had mentioned he was travelling home today. He had been away from his company and life for seven months, trying to woo his ex-wife back. His team wasn’t so pleased with his absence, but they hadn’t complained until now. There were urgent issues he needed to take care of, and Dahila didn’t have the patience to help them out.

I replied, ‘Yes, you can. I hope the journey was smooth and you’re resting.’

Kyle: I can’t rest because you aren’t here with me. Goodnight, Tessa.

I smiled, switching off my phone. I still lurked in his mind.