Chapter 3
When I woke just a few short hours later I was laying in Maria’s bed alone. I was confused for a moment, but soon enough the memories of our passionate night together came flooding back to me. I grinned jumping out of bed and throwing my clothes on. I couldn’t wait to find Maria and talk to her about last night.
As I made my way through the hallways to the kitchen I kept thinking about our night, and how I just knew it meant we would somehow get back together. But I stopped abruptly just before I reached kitchen, hearing an unfamiliar male voice on the other side of the door.
“I suppose that’s his car out in front” the voice was saying.
“Why would he be here? He lives in Tulsa remember” I heard Maria’s voice.
“Maria darling, you should really get out more. It’s all over the news. He’s quit the band and moved to L.A. to pursue his own career” the man taunted. “More likely to pursue you.”
“So what if it is him?” Maria admitted.
“You slept with him didn’t you?” he asked.
“He is my husband, I have every right to sleep with him” Maria said boldly.
“He is your ex-husband, and you belong to be now.” I then heard a slap, and prayed it was Maria slapping him and not the other way around.
“I belong to no one” she screamed. “Get out of my house you hateful bastard. I never want to see you again.”
“You say that now, but you’ll come crawling back, I know you will” he taunted, and with that I heard a door slam.
I was frozen for a moment, taking in everything I had just heard. The door slamming one more time set me into motion. I ran into the kitchen only to find it empty. I looked out the window and saw Maria running along side the house. I then ran out the door myself. “Maria” I called for her to stop, but she kept running. I chased her all the way to our special spot. The one she had taken me to the very first day I’d met her.
By the time I made it there she was sitting hunch over on a rock, sobbing. “Maria” I said softly. “What was that about?”
“William Hayes” she told me. “My parents practically forced me to date him after we got divorced. His parents were friends with mine. He’s rich and he has everything going for him. Unfortunately he knows it. He’s such an awful man. I’ve tried to get rid of him so many times since my parents passed away, but he just keeps coming back.”
“I’m sorry he saw me here” I said quietly.
“I’m not, maybe it’ll send him the message that he’s not wanted” she told me. “I’m just sorry you had to hear that conversation. How much of it did you hear anyway?”
“Enough” I told him simply. “It’s okay though, I understand.” I was trying to stay calm and supportive on the outside, but in the inside it was killing me. I was so jealous that she had been seeing someone, when I was still in pain missing her so much. Even if she wasn’t seeing him on her terms, if it had meant so much to her she would have stood up to her parents.
“So what does this all mean for us?” I finally asked, gaining some composure.
“I don’t know Taylor” she said distantly.
“I still love you, and miss you” I told her. She needed to hear how I felt. I didn’t know if it would influence her decision or not, but I owed her the truth.
“I know you do, I just need time” was her only answer.
For a few moments I stared at her saying nothing. I was trying to collect my thoughts, and come up with something to say to win her over, but it was useless. I knew it was her decision, not mine.
“You know how I feel” I finally said quietly. I grabbed her hand, putting a small piece of paper in it, and closing her fist around it. “This is the number at my new apartment. Please give me a call.”
With that I got up and left her at our spot and started back towards my car. I could feel her eyes on the back of me, but I didn’t turn around and look back. I didn’t want her to see the tears forming in my own.
