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“I’m not pushing you, you’re leaving,” she said.
And here it was. The wall that I needed to break through. “Meri, I’m not leaving you, I'm leaving Tabiq. That is entirely different.”
“Maybe to you, but not to me,” she said softly. “Now if you don’t mind, I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“Because it hurts thinking about it?” I prodded. She nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. I hate thinking about leaving and not seeing you every day.”
She looked back at me and said, “Then don’t.”
“Don’t go?” I asked.
“Don’t think about it.”
I laughed. “Meri, are you purposely trying to be difficult?”
“I’m not being difficult. I have spent all day cooking a special meal for you. And you haven’t even taken one bite. I even asked nicely, yet nothing.”
I picked up my fork, stabbed a carrot, and put it in my mouth. “Yum. Very good. Thank you. Now, can we please talk? I’m trying to tell you that I don’t want this to end.”
“Ryker, I know what you are saying, but it’s what we are avoiding that I am afraid of discussing,” she said.
“Meri, you are one of the strongest woman I’ve ever met. Heck, I bet you can even give Reesa a run for her money. I can’t imagine you being afraid of a conversation,” I said.
“I...I’m afraid that we will talk and then after everything, we will end up in the same place. Going our separate ways.”
“But you won’t know unless you take the chance. Because there is another side, where we talk and work things out so we can still be together. I’m not here to tell you what I want. I’m here so we can talk about whatwewant. So together we can devise a plan that works for us both,” I explained.
“And you really believe that to be possible? Or are you using your marketing skills on me to talk me into something that I don’t believe will work?”
“Oh sweetheart, I can sell a lot of things, but not myself.”
“Fine. Let’s talk. But dinner will not be the same when it gets cold.”
Neither will our relationship.
“Thank you, Meri. So can I start?”
“That’s fine,” she agreed.
“I spoke to Reesa and Bennett earlier today. Things have really changed. She has all the campaign materials that we prepared together, and she’s all set.”
“That’s great. She has my vote when the time comes,” Meri replied.
“I’ve always known that. She is lucky to have you as a friend. You are a very special person, Meri.”
“No. I’m just myself, nothing special,” she replied.
“I disagree. I’ve not only seen how you are with everyone you interact with, but I know what you have come to mean to me. It’s something I should’ve talked to you about when we were together in my suite.”
“We were...preoccupied,” she reminded me.Oh, I can’t forget any of those nights. “I’m not talking about sex. I mean with worry over Mombo,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Yes, that too. But even though we have only been together for two weeks, I have come to care for you a great deal. More than you know. And I don’t want to leave Tabiq without a plan for us to continue exploring what we have together. I think walking and saying goodbye will one day fill us with a lot of regret.”
“I don’t know how we are supposed to work on something when neither of us has any time to ourselves now. A relationship takes a lot of work, Ryker. You told me what a day in the life of Ryker looks like. You get up early, go to the gym, then work long hours and grab take-out food on the way home only to do the same the very next day. Where do I fit in all of that? We not only both work a lot, but we are in different time zones. When you sleep, I work, and when I sleep you work. See what I’m trying to tell you. We don’t work.”
“Meri, that is our lifestyle that doesn’t work. We can find a way around that. I’m talking about feelings.”
“And if you let your heart rule your life, then you risk getting hurt,” she said.
