Unfollowing My Ex

Day 3

Around midday on Day 3 of being home from work, my doorbell rang. Again.

I shuffled to the door dressed in a slouchy tank top, lounging pants, and puffy eyes. Peeking through the window to see who was at the door, my heart stopped. Reed.

I didn’t want to, but something about seeing him on the other side of the door compelled me to open the door. I missed him. But. I was still angry. Very. And. Hurt. Very.

“What do you want, Reed?” “Aubrey, may I come in?”

I decided that dragging this out was not to my advantage since he had shown up on my doorstep. Clearly, he had given me all the space he was going to give.

“Fine. Come in,” I responded very sarcastically. I walked back to the family room and my blanket, pushing my back into the corner and legs stretched out,

forcing him to sit in one of the club chairs.

“Aubrey…,” Reed started.

“Just say what you need to say,” I demanded. “Aubrey, there’s no need to be rude.”

“Rude? Please, Reed. Say what you need to say.” “Hmm.”

“I’m waiting.”

He stood and paced across the floor.

“Aubrey, I messed up. I should have said something when it first came up, but I just didn’t think it would happen or move so quickly.”

“Reed, we were in a relationship. You talked about everything else, but couldn’t find a way to talk to me about that? Really?”

“Look, Aubrey. I was wrong. I admit it.”

Swinging my legs off the sofa and tossing off the blanket, I stood, looked at him and began to tell him in no uncertain terms what I felt.

“You messed up, Reed. Yeah, you did. But what you really did is show me that I didn’t matter for the important things in your life. You were fine with telling me when there was no room for me to say anything. What was I going to say had you told me earlier? Don’t take the promotion after you had worked for it? Don’t go back? No, I don’t want you to go back, but I get it. I get it. I run a business, so I understand about building a

career. But, this, not telling me until the end…I don’t get this, and there is nothing—nothing—that you can say to make me believe that you didn’t know how to tell me.”

“Aubrey, I have never lied to you.”

“You just withheld information. I guess that is

okay. Right?”

Reed walked over to me.

“Aubrey, I have apologized the best way I know how. I don’t know what else to do to get you to understand.”

“Reed…,” I began.

He suddenly pulled me towards him, bent his head towards mine, and kissed me. It was a bruising kiss, for I could feel his frustration. I could also feel the passion. Before I knew it, my arms were around his neck, and my body was plastered against his. I was kissing him with all the anger, hurt, and love that I had for him. I rubbed my body against his in that ancient womanly move that expressed what I wanted.

“I want it all, Aubrey,” he whispered against my lips. “Your love, your trust, your body, and your forgiveness. I want it all. All. I love you, Aubrey.”

I gasped. The pain was too much.

“I can’t, Reed,” I squeezed out.

“Then. Call me when you’re ready to give me your all. I guess this is it, then? You’re really not going to try?”

“Reed, you hurt me. Really hurt me. So, I think it’s better this way,” I said, turning my head as water

filled my eyes.

“I’ll let myself out,” he softly said.

I fell to the sofa and cried at the thought of something that had brought me such joy but was now bringing me such pain. If love could be ridiculous, Reed and I had managed to make it so.