“Talia, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought her here today.”
“No, you did the right thing. Because for the last month, I’ve sat at home contemplating calling you. But I knew it wasn’t what you wanted.”
Oh, it was. It really was.
“And now that I know you’re involved, I can stop thinking about you. I can stop looking for you when I turn a street corner. And I can stop praying that I’d walk in here for a shift and you’d be sat here, at your table.” Talia inhaled a breath and then puffed out her cheeks. “I probably came across as being heartless and unlovable but that was my way of protecting myself. I think you saw through it once or twice, and you’re the only person to do that to me, but I wanted you to know that you made me feel more in the short time I knew you than anyone else ever has or will.”
Faye wanted to love everything Talia was saying…but she had Jenna in her life.
“I want you to know that even though you decided you couldn’t take a chance on me any longer, I’ll always remember how you made me feel. Like I could potentially find someone…someday.”
I don’t want her to find someone. I want her to choose me.
“And those things Phoebe said about you are not true. You’re not plain or boring. You’re nothing that she believes. You’re…well, I won’t go into it. You have a girlfriend and that’s that. I just…” Talia pulled Faye into a hug, sniffling as she buried her face into Faye’s neck. It shouldn’t feel so good, but Faye knew it wouldn’t ever feel better with anyone else. “Have an incredible life, Faye. Be happy.” Talia stepped back and untangled herself from Faye, offering one of the sweetest smiles. “Good luck with your career.” Talia took Faye’s hands and lifted them, kissing her knuckles, lingering as her eyelids fluttered closed momentarily. Just that small gesture thrilled Faye, but the look in Talia’s eyes said she didn’t think the same. She was saying goodbye. “God, you would have been so good for me. We would have been so good together.”
No. Talia wasn’t supposed to say all this stuff. She was supposed to repeatedly turn Faye down while claiming that they could only be friends. Because that would have been easier to take as she watched Talia turn and walk away, her shoulders heavy.
Faye knew she’d made a mistake when she told Talia she didn’t want to see her again. It had been hard enough to speak the words, but this made everything more complicated than she imagined it could be. She thought she was doing the right thing when she asked Talia to leave. Based on her reaction outside the club, it was the only thing Fayecoulddo to protect herself. But now Talia was saying this stuff to her…words she’d wanted to hear from the moment they’d met.
Fuck!
* * *
Faye rushed down the street,the relentless rain pelting her and sending a freezing cold chill throughout her body. They had a storm coming tonight, one named Agnes, and the strength of it had decided to increase as Faye stepped out of her apartment block.
Perhaps this is my karma. Swept into the river, never to return.
As she reached the dock gates, the wind howled, waves on the river to her right. Some may say she was out of her mind to be on the dock in conditions like this, but Faye hadn’t been able to settle since she walked out of the bistro this afternoon. Everything Talia said rang in her mind, playing constantly like a movie reel in her head, and now she needed to see her.
She could deal with Jenna another day.
Faye stepped closer to the apartment block, pushing the anxiety she felt deeper into her belly. She needed a clear head for this; she needed to get it all absolutely right. Talia was bordering on being heartbroken at the bistro this afternoon, and Faye had never wanted that. Before Talia could blow her off again, she’d made the decision to do it first. It was as simple as that. It didn’t mean she didn’t feel something for Talia, and it didn’t mean what she’d said was the truth…it just meant Faye was a coward.
I have to make this right.
She lifted a hand and pressed the button beside the surname ‘Gregory.’ Every emotion swirled inside her, the option to turn around and run away was not a possibility this evening. If Faye wanted to be happy, she had to step up and be honest with Talia. She deserved that much, no doubt about it.
A gentle cough filtered through the intercom. “H-hello?”
“Hi, it’s me. Could I come up?”
“Who’s me?”
“Faye.”
The line fell silent, just the wind howling around Faye.
“Talia, please?”
Talia released the lock on the front entrance, the intercom cutting out as she did so.
Okay, maybe this wasn’t going to go quite as well as Faye hoped it would. But she still had to try. She’d never gained anything in life without trying. She took the stairs slowly. She could have opted for the lift, it seemed the normal thing to do, but taking the stairs gave her an extra moment to think. To understand what it was she was doing here.
Being here tonight could potentially changeeverything.
She steeled herself as she exited the stairwell; Talia’s door was just a few feet away. But the door remained closed with no signs of Talia waiting expectantly for her. No, not a good sign.
Faye curled her hand and knocked gently. When the door opened, Talia rested against the doorframe, her eyes swollen. “Hi. Now isn’t really a good time for me.”