Page 39 of The Way Love Heals

As always, she arrived early with some food. I hardly had an appetite, but I made myself eat to replenish my energy. After Pilar, I had three more clients before I could call it a day.

“Ma’am, what’s wrong with you? You’re over here looking like you lost your best friend, and I’m right here,” Pilar observed, pointing her fork at me.

After I set my fork down, I clasped my hands together and blew through the circle my lips formed. “I haven’t heard from Nyle today.”

“Is that unusual?”

“Extremely. I’m used to having a text from him when I open my eyes. This morning, it was crickets. I texted him at noon, and it is still crickets.”

“Damn. I don’t like that. A man who can’t consistently communicate is a red flag.”

“That’s the thing, Pilar. He’s an amazing communicator. He has been since day one, so this is blowing me.” I sat back in my seat and started sliding down to the floor.

“Uh-uh!” Pilar dramatically cackled so loud that it made me do the same. “You’re doing too much when you can just pop up on him. Is he at work?”

“He should be. It’s a Thursday, so he has private classes.”

“Well, go there and make them public.”

The way I jerked my body up so swiftly almost made me catch a cramp. I glared at Pilar who simply shrugged her shoulders and continued eating.

“Pilar! He works with kids.”

“I’m just saying, girl. You can go find out why he’s ghosting you in person. It’s called free will, boo.”

Pilar was right. I’d been contemplating all day whether I wanted to go see about him or not. Internally, he dealt with a lot. While I understood, I needed him to communicate with me whenever he was having a bad mental day or not. I needed him to let me know when he needed space so I could provide that for him. I didn’t mind at all because, there were times, I needed mine too. His behavior was throwing me off.

“You’re right.” I finally agreed and picked my fork back up. “Including you, I only have four more clients today, and I’ll go see about him. AJ has practice later, but I need to see Nyle before then.”

“Damn right, you do. And if he can’t give you a valid explanation, you need to rethink this relationship.”

“I hear you.”

Once Pilar and I finished eating, we headed to my room so I could wax her and give her a facial. My last three clients were Brazilian waxes, so I breezed through them. Time passed by quickly, and when I finished cleaning up my rooms, I headed to Nyle’s facility.

My nerves were in a bunch on the way there. I had to keep wiping my hands against the steering wheel because they were so moist. It had been forever since I’d done a pop-up, and with how Nyle was, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. Regardless, I needed answers, and he would have to provide them to me.

“Got you.”

I pulled up to the facility to see him walking out with his phone and bag in his hand. He wasn’t paying any attention, so he didn’t notice me. My emotions were turning red, seeing him on his phone, knowing that I had texted him. Just when I was about to get out the car and confront him, my phone started ringing.

It was him.

For a moment, I let it ring. There was a part of me that wanted to be petty and not answer, but from the uneasy expression on his face, I swiped my hand across my screen.

“Hello?”

“Hey. Do you mind if I come by?” He expelled an exasperated breath. “I need to see you.”

“Why haven’t I heard from you all day, Nyle?”’

“I apologize, Brittish. I do. That’s on me for not telling you how I felt or what was going on. I . . .” He leaned his head back and swallowed. “Can I explain when I see you?”

“I’m looking at you right now.”

“Huh?”

“I’m in the parking lot. I see you.”