With her words hanging in the air she stomped out of the room and out the door, letting it slam closed behind her.
My cries were all that could be heard in the silent house.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Ten days.
Ten days without Jude.
Ten days of being miserable.
Ten days of moping around the house, only leaving to go to work.
Ten days of complete and utter insanity.
I was pretty sure at this point I was going crazy, if I hadn’t already.
I’d thought of going to him so many times and apologizing, but my stubbornness wouldn’t let me.
I had spent hours hoping he’d come see me.
He didn’t.
That scared me like nothing else could.
Between not seeing him, and Rowan’s disappearance—I hadn’t seen her either since the day she walked out—I had myself convinced that Jude had moved on with Brooke. It was easier to believe he stayed away because he’d found something in her that he didn’t have with me, than to accept responsibility for what happened—that I pushed him away.
“What did that pen ever do to you?”
I jumped at the sound of Bryce’s voice. “Sorry,” I put the pen down, the top chewed on. “I didn’t realize I was doing it.”
He stared at the crumpled top of the pen. “Well keep it now. No one wants your germs,” he joked, hoping up on the counter.
It was closing time and I should’ve been helping him wipe down the tables and clean the floors, but I was too lost in my thoughts.
“What’s going on with you?” He asked. “You haven’t been okay for a week now.”
I sighed. “It’s nothing.”
“Boy troubles,” he spoke over me. “It’s definitely boy troubles. I can tell from the look in your eyes.” He reached out and lifted my chin. “The guy’s an idiot to leave you.”
I pulled out of his grasp and his hand fell to his lap. “There…there was a misunderstanding, and I made things worse,” I admitted. It was the first time I’d accepted some of the responsibility.
“Talk to me,” Bryce said as he hopped off the counter. He grabbed two rags and tossed one to me. I managed to catch it. “You clean those tables,” he pointed, “and I’ll take the ones over here.”
I did as he told me, but didn’t speak. I didn’t know what to say.
“Come on, you can tell me whatever is. I might be able to impart some wisdom, or not,” he chuckled.
I shrugged, wiping the table in circular motions. At the rate I was going, I was about to rub a hole into the surface. I let out a pent up breath and told Bryce everything, from how I found Jude and Brooke, to how depressed I’d been the past ten days.
When I was done, I pulled out one of the chairs and put my head in my hands. “I’ve ruined everything.”
The legs of the other chair squeaked against the tile floors as Bryce pulled it out and sat down. “You haven’t ruined everything,” he said softly, his voice oddly serious. “Everyone makes mistakes, but it’s what you do after that matters.”
“What do you mean?” I looked up at him, sniffling.
He shrugged. “I just mean, when you make a mistake you either have to own it, or suffer because of it. Apologize to him. If he really loves you he’ll understand. Everyone makes mistakes and you both did in this situation. He shouldn’t have let whatever-her-name-is into his room, and you shouldn’t have pushed him away. Tell him you’re sorry.”