AllFreeNovel
Share Us
8
I’m Sorry
WYATT
It’s been a weird day. Things have felt… off. I’m not sure why, but it feels like something is different. Something has changed. There’s a buzz in the air that I can’t put my finger on.
Maybe it’s the festival this weekend. I’ve been dreading being put front and center for weeks now. Not that I have a choice in the matter. When the Mayor knocks on your door and says you’re receiving an award on behalf of the town council, you say thank you and accept it.
Honored is what my mother said. I’m being honored and I should feel good about that. So why don’t I? I don’t feel good about anything anymore. I work to pass the time. I volunteer to maintain a good image in the community. Never in a million years did I think I would be noticed for the little things I’ve done.
And I never wanted to be.
I like my low-key life. Always have. I’ve never felt like I needed to be part of the crowd. Doing my own thing, the way I wanted to, has always been important to me.
When I bought the Fairview Tavern, I hadn’t planned to renovate it, but the swing of the hammer felt good. Who knew it would kickstart an entire renovation campaign for the town? Bringing the Tavern back to life made others want to do the same for their businesses. People started to show interest in bringing new business to Fairview.
And, apparently, that’s all thanks to me.
What I want to tell them is that they should thank Chloe. It’s because of her I started swinging that hammer. It’s because of her that I needed that emotional outlet.
My broken heart is the one thing I’ve never been able to fix. Not because I haven’t tried, but because I’m pretty damn sure that it’s beyond repair.
She broke me. Destroyed me in a way that can’t be explained. And she didn’t even own up to it. All I got was a fucking note. Two words.
I’m sorry.
Not even anI love you. And she was gone. She hasn’t called. Hasn’t attempted to reach me. It’s not like I left Fairview. I stayed here so that if she ever came back, if she ever decided she wanted to find me, she could.
Here I am, five years later, still waiting on the love of my life to walk through those doors. Waiting for one glimpse of the woman who walked away from me with no explanation.
So when I went to bring Jones change for the till and saw him embracing her in a hug, her long, auburn hair settling down her back in soft curls, I almost lost it. Not because I thought Jones was making a move on her, but because she was here. In my bar. In my town.
The shock of seeing her after all this time wore off quickly. Anger and hatred took its place. The same hatred that has grown inside of me since the last time I saw her. When I went to find her. The day I thought I could win her back only to discover that she had moved on.
“Areyou sure you want to do this?” Jones asks as I toss my duffel in the back seat. My mom is going to be pissed when she finds out I’m taking the car. Not because I didn’t ask, but because she thinks Jones and I are going to a concert an hour away, not to Denver to find Chloe.
“Do you have a better idea?”
We’ve been over this. Multiple times. If I want answers, I’m going to have to ask Chloe myself. It’s been three months, and I can’t sit here and wait for her to call anymore.
Shaking his head, Jones climbs onto the passenger seat and slams his door. I know he doesn’t approve. He wants me to wait until I’m not angry anymore. Well, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. My anger is growing as each day passes without contact from her.
Things were great between us. We were making plans. Knowing she was leaving for college, I bought her a promise ring and had planned on giving it to her that morning. I waited, for an hour, for her to show up. Willy ripped me a new asshole for being late that morning.
In the end, she left me.
Why? That’s all I want to know. I need to know. She said she was happy, that she loved me. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with me. If all that was true, why did she leave? More importantly, why is she sorry?
The drive to Denver is silent. Jones is here for moral support, having been through a loss of his own. Even though nothing will bring Sawyer back to him, he’s moving forward.
I’m not.
I’m drowning in sorrow. I’ve put my life on hold for Chloe, hoping she would come back. Or at least call. Neither of which seem to be in my near future so here we are, on our way to find her. To get answers. It’s a bad idea and we both know it, but I’ll never admit it to him.
As soon as campus comes into view, memories of our trip come rushing back to me. We had an amazing time that weekend. Chloe was full of life, excited to show me where she would be living and where her classes were. Today I’m thankful for that trip because, from what I can remember, most of her classes were in the same building.
That’s where I plan to find her. I’ll wait all day for her to emerge if I have to, but she will. Eventually. And then… then I’ll get answers.
