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I pull up my text chain with Naomi and my heart drops.
There are so many grey texts from her, and so few blue responses from me.
No wonder she’s not picking up when I call. I haven’t been there for her in the way she needed me, wanted me.
She put in the effort, and I ignored her.
Well, no more.
That same competitive energy I always feel when I pull up to an arena on Pop Rocks sparks to life in my chest.
This is a competition I’m not willing to lose.
I’ve set my eyes on a new prize now: her trust.
Her heart will be mine.
Alvaro: You deserve so much better than how I’ve treated you, how I’m currently treating you. For that, I’m sorry.
Alvaro: I want to make it up to you, please. But I need to talk to you in order to fix this.
The read receipt comes through and then the text bubble pops up. It disappears for a moment before coming back. Then I breathe a sigh of relief.
Naomi: You didn’t do anything wrong, Alvie. You’ve been very clear about how you feel about me.
Naomi: If it wasn’t for Bex, you wouldn’t have anything to do with me. And she’s made herself very clear about how I fit into both of your lives.
Naomi: I’m done putting myself in positions that only set me up for heartbreak.
Alvaro: I hear you, and your feelings are valid. I regret much of how I’ve treated you and I will take time to process that on my own. But if you’ll let me, I’d like to try to mend what I’ve broken.
Naomi: You didn’t break anything, Alvie. There was never anything between us to break. I was a play partner for you, a little bit of fun to have with Bex. I get it. We played; you had your fun. Now you’re done.
Alvaro: I’m not done.
Alvaro: You make it sound like you’re an object, a toy of some kind to be played with. You’ve never been that. You’re so much more. I was too oblivious to see it. Please let me work on changing for the better.
It’s a long time before the bubbles pop back up, but no text comes through. I probably stand there in the middle of the living room for a solid five minutes before I give up waiting and slide my phone back into my pocket.
Bex comes home from her ride, and we go through the rest of our evening in silence.
It’s not until I’m climbing into bed that my phone chimes again and I reach for it impulsively.
Naomi: Okay. I need some time, but yeah. We can try to start over.
Alvaro: Try?
Naomi: That’s the most that I can offer.
Alvaro: I’ll take it.
Alvaro: Thank you, bunny. Sleep well.
Naomi: You too.
Chapter 26
Naomi
