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“It’s good to finally see your face, Elizabeth.” She points me to a chair and takes a seat. “How have you been?”
“Good,” I say. Then I pause. “You know what? I haven’t been good. I married the man you set me up with a week ago and now we’re getting divorced.” I stare at a fray in my shirt. I thought I’d be glad to get that off my chest, but saying it out loud just makes me want to cry. “Anyway,” I finish softly, “that’s how I am.”
Venus leans forward. “Do you mind explaining a little more?”
The entire story comes spilling out.
By the time I reach the part where Brogan slid the divorce papers at me, my hands are gesturing wildly. “So now I find out that he went to see my parents before breaking up with me. What am I supposed to make of that? Am I being weak if I hope that means he actually had feelings?”
She chuckles. “Elizabeth, I feel like you’ve already answered your own question.”
“I have?”
“You’re holding on to the divorce papers, aren’t you?”
“Well, I’ve been busy…” I hedge.
“You’re not ready to give up on him.”
“He’s the one who gave up on us first.”
“Does he know you have feelings for him?”
“Well…” My eyes zip to the side. “Not exactly.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“Because I was afraid of this. He left me.”
“Okay.”
I glare at her. “What do you mean okay?”
“The worst happened. He left you, but you still have unresolved feelings for him. You’re still wondering ‘what if’.” She gestures to me. “I think you and Brogan need to have one last serious conversation. Clear the air. Tell him how you feel. It’s not even to get him back. It’s just to get it off your chest. You deserve to release it so you can move on without regrets.”
“I don’t think I have the courage to say it first.” I rub my palms against my legs. “I always did that in my previous relationships and—”
“Forget the past, Elizabeth. If you keep looking in the rearview mirror when you should be looking ahead, you’re going to crash.” She smiles gently. “I know what it’s like to be terrified of loving someone.”
I nod to her giant engagement ring. “Your fiancé?”
“He’s my brother’s best friend. We grew up together. He’s also eight years older and insisted on seeing me as nothing but a sister, no matter how much I threw myself at him.”
I chuckle.
“The point is,” Venus says, “all my tricks and flirting and hints didn’t work. It wasn’t until I had a mature, honest conversation that I got anywhere with Troy.”
“You think it’s worth it?”
“That’s a question you have to answer.” She studies me intently. “Is it worth it?”
My brain says ‘no’.
That I’d be putting myself in the way of rejection.
That Brogan would just leave me again.
But my heart…
