“Well?” Ashley said.
“Well what? It’s just another cheap attempt to get me back.”
“You’re impossible.” This was the third time he had sent her flowers, and he had called numerous times, and Ashley had said all she could to try to make Aimee believe him. Still, she refused to let him back into her life.
“Why am I impossible?”
“Because you’re stubborn! Why do you not believe him?”
“Because he’s not telling the truth.” She paused. “I’m going for a walk, if you don’t mind watching Caitlin.”
“No, of course not.”
She went out the back door and walked down the beach for over an hour, not even thinking about anything except the sound of the waves rolling in. She couldn’t think. She was too tired to think. When she got to the point where she could see her house, or rather, Nick’s house, she stopped and sat down on the sand. Then she hung her head and cried. How had life managed to get so screwed up?
She wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting there. The sun set behind the horizon, and the tears kept falling. The sky darkened, and the tears kept falling. Stars began twinkling in the sky above her, and the tears kept falling. She didn’t care that she was supposed to be at the diner. Hopefully Ashley had called in sick for her, but if she hadn’t, oh, well. She had already lost her best friend and boyfriend and sanity, so what harm could losing a job gonna do?
Suddenly, she heard a voice. “Aims?”
She looked up to see Nick. “What are you doing here?”
“Just thinking.” He sat down next to her and pulled her into a hug. “I wish you would stop crying.”
She quickly pulled away. “Well, I wished you wouldn’t lie, but that didn’t happen.”
“It did happen. I never lied to you. I don’t think I’ve ever lied to you in my life, except the one time I said I didn’t like Suzie Andrews when I actually did.”
“Why did you have to hurt me like that?” she cried, obviously referring to Steph and not to Suzie Andrews.
“I didn’t mean to! There was nothing I could do!”
“You slept with her.”
“Why won’t you believe me, Aims? I love you and not Steph! I would never dream of sleeping with Steph! You’re the only person I would ever make love to!”
She laughed bitterly. “That ain’t gonna happen.”
“I think I understand why you won’t believe me,” he stated angrily.
Smirking, she looked up at him. “Why is that?”
“Because you always have to have people feel bad for you. First it was I had this baby, and the asshole father won’t pay child support, and I have to raise Caitlin on my own. Then it was work. I have to work two jobs and I’m always tired and in pain, but I’m not going to quit because then I don’t get any pity. Now it’s me. I’m gonna tell everyone Nick slept with some other girl even though I know he would never do that to me because then everyone will feel bad for me.”
“You know what? Screw you. I don’t need you,” she muttered as the tears started falling harder. She stood up and started to walk away.
His face softened. “Wait, Aims, I didn’t mean that.”
Whirling around and placing her hands on her hips, she narrowed her eyes. “Then what did you mean?”
“I don’t know. I’m just trying to hurt you as bad as you’re hurting me by not believing me.”
“Well, you’re doing a pretty good job of it.”
He stood up and walked over to her, then took her hands in his. “I’m sorry for everything, Aims.”
Without saying a word, she collapsed in his arms in more tears. They stood there like that for hours before he took her hand and led her back to their house.