Torn (Connections #2)(10)

When she looked up her mouth fell open, and I could see she was shaky, and unsure. She stood up and I walked over to her to assure her I was real. When I was standing in front of her, she blinked and then sighed before throwing her arms around me. I was overwhelmed. I hugged her for the longest time. She was always my biggest supporter. To her I could do no wrong-I was her golden boy, the son that looked just like his father, the man she had also loved unconditionally. When I pulled back I kept my voice soft and answered as many of her questions as I could.

Our brief but emotional reunion   was interrupted when the suit ushered us forward. We were escorted back down the drab hallway and into the same conference room I had sat in for hours, but this time they left us alone. Looking at me, my mother broke down and I broke down along with her. I had missed her. She, like Dahl, was always there for me, always believed in me, and always loved me, no matter what. When she was finally able to compose herself enough to hear where I'd been for the past three years, I explained everything to her, including the events that brought me back home.

I tried not to give her too many details. Just enough so she could understand, but not too many that she'd grow more concerned.

Once we got home, she called Serena and Trent and they came right over. Serena was actually pissed at me at first-she yelled and screamed and then finally cried. Trent, on the other hand, wasn't just happy; it was more like he was relieved. He looked jittery and I thought he might be on something. My mom looked really upset when I asked about it and I felt like she knew more than she was telling me. But all she said was that Serena was going through some stuff with him and had been having a hard time getting him to listen to her. We spent the rest of the day just talking and she told me how much she missed me.

I thought seeing Dahl would be the most important thing but after talking to Mom I knew right then that she needed me more. It wasn't until later in the day that I got a chance to call Dahl, but Mom insisted we wait until tomorrow and that she be the one to do it. I really didn't want to push, so I didn't argue. She already seemed so stressed.

But I did ask her if Dahl was seeing anyone. She was hesitant to tell me anything at first, but she said there was a guy and Dahl had been seeing him for a while. I guess I can assume he's the same guy Caleb told me about. It's not that I didn't want her to move on-I never thought I'd be back. But I just never thought I'd have to see it.

I also asked if Dahl had dated many guys and she told me no, just the one. I had hoped there were more because that would make her more like me. She would have been doing what I had been doing-trying to find a substitute for her. When I first got to New York I was lost. I had no one. For months I didn't go out or talk to anyone. Then after a while I tried to date someone, but everything we did just brought me back to the life I left, the life I missed, and it wasn't fair to that girl.



       
         
       
        

I started teaching that fall, but it didn't help me forget Dahl. That Halloween I knew she needed me and I wasn't there. I went out and got shitfaced and fucked a girl that looked like her. That started me down a road I can't even remember. Work, eat, drink, fuck. I never thought I'd see her again so I fucked just about every tall blond I ran into. And New York was loaded with them. But I never stuck around . . . they weren't her and I didn't want to get that close.

Over time I stopped trying to replace her because no matter how much I wanted it, there was no substitute for her. As time went on it didn't matter if the girl I fucked was tall, short, blond, or brunette-they were just there to fill a need. My need to have Dahl in my life never went away, but I met Kimberly shortly after Caleb told me he had seen Dahl with some guy in the Hills. For some reason, although I hated that she had moved on, it brought me closure and I stopped fucking around. Kimberly and I started dating and after a few months, I found a happy medium. I was able to have a relationship and function almost like I used to. I didn't screw around on her. I liked her enough. So yeah, maybe she looked a lot like Dahlia, but she didn't act like her. She never called me on my shit and never put me in my place. We had a good sex life and a decent time together. She wasn't needy and didn't pressure me for more than I was willing to give. We had a good thing going.

Hopefully Dahl's commitment to this guy is like my commitment to Kimberly-committed until something else came around. I was committed to Kimberly until I was told I could go back. I did call her and tell her I had an emergency back home and I'd be in touch soon. She didn't know anything about where home was . . . I was always vague. She knew I was from California and she knew me as Alex. I didn't want to explain anything different. So I haven't talked to her since I left. I am going to call her-I owe her that. I just haven't figured out what I am going to say.