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Ambi nodded. It felt like a dense fog had flooded the room and was swirling around her in a dense cocoon. Her brain was processing so slow that someone might as well have undone the top of her head and jammed it full of slow-moving molasses. She realized, belatedly, that it was shock. She wasn’t just shocked. She was in shock.
“I agree with you,” she finally breathed.
Trey had waited until the afternoon when he was probably sure she’d be at the office. He wasn’t wearing a suit, which told her that he probably hadn’t gone to work that morning. It made sense now, seeing as he basically told his dad he was done there. Instead of his usual suit, he was dressed in a pair of faded jeans, a grey t-shirt, and a black zip up. He looked amazing, as usual. Somehow the casual look suited him better than the expensive formal clothes.
“About what?” Trey’s brow arched up. He lounged in the doorway, so maddeningly casual. He didn’t seem ruffled at all. Did he always have to be so sure of himself?
“About your dad’s methods being questionable at best. I’d call them outright shitty. I don’t know why he thought he could accomplish anything by testing you like that. I mean, maybe I do. I don’t know. I didn’t know that he had to fight for your mom like that. I don’t know how he grew up. I don’t really know anything about him. I only really know what you’ve told me, and you didn’t understand what he was really trying to do, so maybe I just have the wrong impression.”
“No, his methods were pretty shitty. I see where he was coming from, but I’ll have to agree to disagree about what he did. I can see his reasoning behind it after he tried to explain, but it’s still terrible.” Trey sighed. “Either way, Ambi, I lost the past five years. I lost them because they weren’t spent with you. I was a shithead. My father was less of a shithead than I thought. Maybe just a different kind of shithead. It doesn’t make a difference. I made the wrong choice. I made that choice myself. I don’t have anyone to blame for it except myself. I’m owning it now.”
“So, you’re here. You’re here because I said we couldn’t do this if your dad wasn’t on board and he appears to be, so you’re back to ask me for a second chance.”
“Yeah. Pretty much.” Trey grinned, but it was a reluctant, self-deprecating grin. “I’m back for more punishment. Whatever you want to dish out. I’ll stand here and take it because I more than deserve it. If you want to call me an asshole, it’s well deserved. A turd, or whatever you were calling me before, I agree. I’m a turd. The smelliest, squishiest, drain clogging epic kind of turd.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“Yes, well, I’m that too. I agree. I’ll get on my knees if you want me to, Ambi. I’ll beg you for another chance. I’ll beg you to forgive me.”
Ambi knew that her face was blank so far, but in another few seconds, she was going to crack. Her chest felt like it was going to explode and rain rainbows and glitter and happiness all over the place. She wanted to be cautious. She wanted to tell Trey that she needed time. That she needed space and distance to think. Fortunately for him, she’d spent the past five years doing all of that.
Somewhere, buried not so deep inside of her, were the seeds of love that Trey planted all those years ago. She’d kept them carefully protected in the most barren soil. She hadn’t given them water or fertilizer, but they remained. They stayed dormant and she always knew that if given even a glimpse of sunlight or a drop of rain, they’d sprout up and in a matter of minutes they’d be full-grown, blooming and blossoming all over the place.
That first time Trey kissed her when they were cake tasting was the sun.
When he’d ended up at her apartment that night, he was the rain.
He’d pulled her into the same closet where they’d had their first time. Those seeds came busting up to the surface and she could do nothing to hold them back.
She’d thought that Dale pulled out all her precious plants at the Christmas party. She’d lost all hope and was ready to let those plants die.
Then Trey came back. He went to his dad and talked it out. He was here and he was hers if she wanted him. They could try again. They could try and they could be something. He’d fought for her and he was finally here, ready to love her.
If she wanted him to. If she let him.
She should be afraid. She should be filled with doubts and hesitance and reluctance. She shouldn’t just give in, but if the past five years had taught her anything, it was that there wasn’t time for fears or doubts, hesitance or reluctance. She loved Trey. She knew that beyond the shadowiest shadow of a doubt.
