I call my mom on my way home from work, ready to talk about this business opportunity. It’s been a good way to bond without talking about the elephant in the room—my father’s cancer—and whether I’m going to visit him anytime soon.
The verdict: undecided.
“If you need a loan for the start-up costs, my offer still stands,” she tells me again.
“I know, Mom, and I appreciate that. I just think this is something I need to do myself. Grown-up stuff, you know?”
“You may be a twenty-four-year-old man, but you’ll always be my little boy, Travis.”
I smile and shake my head even though she can’t see me. “I know.”
Once I pull into the driveway, we say our goodbyes, and I’m actually relieved to see that Drew is home already. It’s been over a week since I’ve seen Viola after her graduation ceremony, and between work and Gryff, I’ve stayed plenty busy, but I still miss her like crazy. Things haven’t exactly smoothed over between Drew and me either. I hate all the tension between us, but I’m hoping we can resolve that soon. I betrayed his trust, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to fix that. On the other hand, I’m worried Viola and I will never be the same again.
As soon as I open the door, Gryff runs to me and starts licking my face immediately. I pet his head and back before setting him back down.
“Who’s a good boy?” I say in an embarrassing, high-pitched tone that Viola convinced me he liked. He follows me as I walk farther inside.
“Hey, man,” I say as I step into the kitchen, where he’s steaming vegetables. “Ugh, man. Smells like ass in here.”
“Fresh vegetables,” he clarifies. “Meal prepping for the next week.”
Drew is as obsessed about what he eats as much as he is about working out. I give him props for sticking to it, but I would die if I couldn’t binge every once in a while.
“Chicken and veggies. Sounds delicious,” I say with a mocking tone. He knows I’m giving him shit, but he doesn’t fire back.
“You get used to it.”
“So, I was thinking with Viola leaving next weekend that we should sit down and talk. Get everything out in the open because I hate this awkward tension between us. I want to tell you everything about that night and the actual truth of events. I know it won’t change what’s already happened, but I want us to move forward.”
I watch as he digests my words. He sprinkles seasonings over the veggies and places the lid back on the pot. He turns around and finally looks at me, uncertainty etched all over his features, and I worry about what he’s about to say.
“Viola already left.” His words hit me like a ton of bricks, yet I can’t comprehend them.
“Wait,what?”
“She left two days ago. Booked an earlier flight.”
I blink, my mind racing and I can’t think straight. She wasn’t supposed to leave until next weekend.
“Why? You didn’t tell me. She…” I lose my words as I fight back the anger that’s brewing inside me.
“Sorry, man. She asked me not to say anything. She said she had to leave and start fresh.” I can tell he knows this is hitting me hard as he rests a hand on my shoulder. “We had talked before she left, and I know that what you two had was real and that you both had strong feelings for each other, but she’ll always make her future a priority over everyone in her life. She’s always been that way.”
“I was supportive of that, but we’d planned on me taking her to the airport, at least. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
“I don’t think she knew how to say goodbye to you.”
Gryff begins pawing at my slacks, directing my attention down to him. I knew she loved Gryff and would’ve wanted to see him one last time, so the fact that she just left both of us behind leaves me almost speechless.
“So, I guess that means she doesn’t want to talk to me either?” I mutter, mostly to myself, but I know Drew heard me.
“Give her some time to adjust, and then try reaching out to her. She might come around. You never know,” Drew offers.
I hope he’s right.
I can’t fathom not talking to her for six months. But what if she meets someone else and forgets about us completely?
The following day, Drew is off work, and I take the opportunity to sit down with him. I want the chance to explain that night, and why I kept the truth about Mia and Viola from him. I know what’s done is done, but we have a history, and I can’t let something like this burden our friendship.