Discovering Truths by B. Benfield (chrysanthemum read aloud .TXT) 📕

you back and I don’t want to run you off…but I’ve got to be honest. I told you when we first started talking that I didn’t want to get caught up, and then I told you when I felt like I was. Losing you made me realize…I love you Gage.

Gage: Oh my gosh, Abby, I love you too. I was scared to say it…scared to believe it. But I love you too. So much. Being apart was torture.

 

A tear slipped down my cheek and I wiped it away as I smiled. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. He loved me. I wasn’t crazy. We shared the same feelings. I always thought this was too good to be true, but something about him made me believe him.

Me: Are you serious?

Gage: I’m dead serious. Abby West, I love you so much.

Me: I’m crying.

Gage: Don’t cry!

Me: They’re happy tears, trust me. Being without you has been…awful. It’s been bad, Gage. I don’t mean to be dramatic, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt this strongly about someone.

Gage: I won’t hurt you again. I promise.

I hoped that was a promise he could keep. My life depended on it.

Me: How have you been?

Gage: Besides missing you like crazy, I’ve been alright. How about you?

Me: Same crap.

I’d never told Gage about my depression and it wasn’t a story I planned on diving into. That was a part of my life I liked to keep to myself. Melinda knew a little, but she still didn’t know the extent of it. The dark cloud that hovered over me was slowly making its way out.

Gage: Can I see you tomorrow? It doesn’t even have to be a big thing…I just need to see you.

Me: Nothing would make me happier.

 

I sat in my car for the whole hour texting with Gage. You couldn’t slap the smile off my face if you tried.

I strolled back to my desk feeling like a new woman. My perky mood was noticeable.

“Good lunch break?” Mike asked.

“Actually, yes.”

“Good.”

He probably thought I was a nut-job. I had so many back and forth moods and he picked up on all of them. Hopefully this new happiness was here to stick around. Given our situation, I probably put too much faith in Gage, but the love I had for him was so powerful, I instinctively gave him all my trust.

I hoped all of this was right. I couldn’t handle another heartbreak. That was one thing I was sure of.

***

When I left work and headed for Yoga, the traffic was a nightmare, but it didn’t seem to bother me. I wasn’t sure there was anything that could bring me down from my current state of bliss. I wanted to feel like this forever.

The phone started ringing in the car and Melinda’s name flashed across the screen.

“What’s up?” I answered.

“Not much just checking in on you. What are you doing?”

“Heading to Yoga. This traffic is terrible, though. How was your day?”

“Eh, it was okay.”

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“Just Jon.”

“What about him?”

“I don’t know.”

“What is it, Melinda?”

“I think I want a divorce.”

“What?”

“I don’t think I can be with him anymore. He’s not the person I married. And he’s not a bad person, I just don’t think he’s the one for me.”

“How long have you felt like this?” I asked. This was all news to me.

“Six months…maybe longer.”

“Is this why you were trying to catch him doing something wrong? So you’d have a way out and not have to be the one to break things off?”

“No…not really. I mean, I have been getting weird vibes from him, that’s the truth.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know how to bring it up.”

“I have to be honest, Melinda, I didn’t expect this. On the outside, you and Jon seem perfect. I always got the impression that you two adored each other. How do you think he’s going to take it?”

“I’m not sure about that either. I feel like he might agree with me. People grow apart…and I think we have.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. If you two can’t make it, I’m not sure I have any faith left in love.”

“You and me both.” She said.

“Well…let me know if you need me…anything at all. Okay?”

“I will.”

My day was perfect until I talked to Melinda. I really was sad for her, but she was right. She had to follow her heart.

Maybe Gage and I were doing things backward, but I didn’t want to wait to move forward with him. If we loved each other, why should we? There was no reason either of us should stay in relationships in which we weren’t happy. Life is too short to be miserable.

Chapter Twenty-Three

 

On the drive to see Gage, a slew of nerves coursed through me. I felt like I did when I met him for the first time. Excitement and nervousness consumed my thoughts and I welcomed the feelings. This felt right. We’d spent most of the day yesterday talking, and simply communicating through the phone had already brightened my mood. Even Marcus picked up on my changed attitude. Fortunately for me, he didn’t bother with me much, so I didn’t have to explain the reason for my optimism.

It was my lunch hour, so I was meeting Gage in his gym’s parking lot since we wouldn’t have much time. When I pulled in, he was parked in the same spot in the corner where he parked all the other times we met before. Memories came flooding back to me. Although it hadn’t been that long since I’d seen him, it felt like an eternity.

I pulled into the spot beside him and let out