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My arms fold beneath my chest with a struggle since I’m trying to still hold onto my coffee. “You can’t come into my place of work and demand to talk to me about a personal matter.”
“I know, but I need you to listen to me, please.”
“You have two minutes,” I point, “and I better not lose my job.”
Cruz raises his hands in defeat. “Addy, I need to apologize. What I did to you was uncalled for. I’m ashamed to have put you in a position where you didn’t feel safe with me.”
I bow my head, taking a deep breath.
“I’m not perfect, and I’ve spent most of my adult life relying on you for support. I do love you, I always have and always will,” he says, then pauses. “But I need to learn how to live my life without you as my life jacket.”
We both fall quiet with so much to say. The shift in our relationship was always going to happen. I just didn’t expect it to happen this soon.
“I’m sorry I lied to you about Masen.”
He nods, pressing his lips together to keep his mouth shut.
“I’ve hurt you, and I own that mistake,” I continue, willing the guilt to ease with my admission. “I just wasn’t thinking.”
Cruz shuffles his footsteps while glancing at the floor.
“He’s hurting, you know,” is all he says.
“You’ve spoken to him?”
“Spoken,” he confirms with a straight face. “And seen him.”
“I … I don’t know what to say.”
Cruz takes two steps to be closer to where I stand. “I have to go. My flight leaves in two hours.”
“Flight?”
He grins proudly. “Yeah, it’s time to show the big guys what I got.”
“When are you back?”
“Two days,” he informs me. “Why, you gonna miss me?”
I put my coffee down and extend my arms to invite his embrace. The smell of his cologne is nostalgic and reminds me of all the good times we’ve had as best friends. We can’t go back to our careless days, but I’m glad we made the memories that will last forever.
“You’ll call me every five minutes, right?”
He moves a stray hair away from my face. “Yeah, you can’t get rid of me that easily. But, Addy, promise me something?”
My feet take a step back with a smile still on my face. “Anything for you.”
“Go to him,” he urges with an upturned face. “Life is too short to sit around and wait for fate to intervene. You love him, then tell him.”
“But what if he doesn’t feel the same way?”
“I bet on all the stars in the universe. You’re proven wrong.”
Twenty-One
Masen
Irefused to stay in Manhattan a minute longer.
