Their Second Chance(3)

“What way?” She glared at him, heat swarming her cheeks. Screw holding it in. “Go ahead and tell me how things will one day be fine, and we can even be friends.” Her voice rose with each word. Her control kept slipping. She hated that! His calmness was going to make her crazy. She panted and struggled to slow her racing heart.

He watched her, his face set into one of his stony guarded looks he was so good at giving. “Listen…” He rubbed a hand over his short dark hair. Oh she was very familiar with that move. It was one of his many ways of expressing his frustration. “…that’s not what I meant. But we don’t have to hate each other either.”

Shock filtered through her system. She stopped short. Oxygen tripped inside her lungs, and she almost choked. She didn’t hate him. How could he even use that word? Hate was the furthest thing from her mind. Frustration. Anger. Pain. Fear. Rejection. All those feelings were very familiar to her when it came to her marriage. Never ever hate.

She knew the reality of what they’d had and was sure that there was not going to be some amicable friendship or parting of ways. Anger and hurt twined her insides into knots. A dull throbbing pierced her heart, torturing her over her failed marriage again. She turned her face away to glance around the small single window room.

“Ariana…”

She didn’t look back. It was hard enough to keep a lid on her pain without completely exposing her vulnerability while he watched.

“Forget it, please.” She continued to study a chair at the other end of the table. Focusing on the black lines and smooth surface kept her from whirling around and creating a scene. “It’s fine.”

Lie! She wasn’t fine. The entire situation was not fine. She felt like she’d been thrown into hell naked and alone. Her phone buzzed in her handbag. After pulling out the device, she glanced at the screen. She had a message from her best friend, Patricia.

Are you done? Ready to party like it’s 1999?

Ari smiled, knowing her friend was doing her best to lighten her mood.

No. Still at the lawyer’s office. There was a mistake over Harley’s custody. Waiting to get it fixed before I can go.

It wasn’t even a minute before her phone buzzed in her hand.

Don’t forget we’re meeting at Wyatt’s Bar. We’re going to get roaring drunk and possibly kicked out for indecent exposure.

As if Tricia would ever let her forget. I won’t forget.

A new message came in. Is N there with you? Tricia had never called Nick by his full name since they’d been in college.

She sighed. Yes, right across from me.

He still look good?

Did he ever. You have no idea.

Don’t worry Ari, I’ll have a drink ready and waiting for you. Call me, text me, whatever if you need me! I swear I’ll come over there if I have to.

I’m okay. I’ll see you soon. It was all she could say. Was she really okay? Even she couldn’t answer that one.

Ari stood, unable to stand the silence, and knowing that he just sat there scrutinizing her. What could be taking Kevin so goddamned long to return? A migraine started to form in the back of her skull. She couldn’t wait to be done with this already. It was ironic that a few years ago they’d come to Kevin’s office to talk about paying for fertility treatments and baby funds. Now, they were there to sign away their life with each other. God, that really hurt.

“Congratulations on the new contract.” Nick’s voice drifted from behind her as she made her way to the window facing the parking lot.

“Thank you,” she replied, folding her arms over her chest and staring at the single tree in her line of sight. The tall willowy limbs shook with the force of the afternoon wind. Bright pink and white flowers detached from the branches, along with deep green leaves, and scattered around the paved lot. She felt like those flowers, floating in the wind without an anchor. Without purpose.

“I mean that, Ari. I know how hard you worked to get your advertising company off the ground.” His voice sounded closer.

She turned. He was taking slow steps in her direction. She remembered how much he’d encouraged her to continue sending out proposals to clients, telling her it would one day pay off. It had. What she hadn’t expected was for her business to flourish and her personal life to wither and die.

“I know.” She struggled to get the words out. How did he do it? He acted so unfazed, yet here she was with her heart and life being torn to shreds. Where was the justice?

A sudden movement made her instinctively reach out to hold on to something, a sense of vertigo took hold of her. Nick rushed forward and grabbed her.

“Are you okay?”