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They prolonged deliberation into Friday, then left us hanging over the weekend.I started to question what I’d thought would be a slam dunk case.I wondered how the fuck Delaney’s dad had gotten to some of the jurors to plant seeds of doubt because there was no other reasoning they hadn’t come to a quick conclusion regarding Joseph’s guilt.
Who could possibly refute fucking video evidence, never mind the DNA, the fingerprints, and the visible results of Joseph’s knife work?
On Monday afternoon, the jury returned to the courtroom and declared Joseph Delaney III guilty on all charges.It was the first I felt as though I could breathe freely in months.
I’d been after Alex to meet up for the discussion we needed to have, but he’d blown me off time and again.After the second week of court, I’d stopped trying, too overwhelmed in my head to deal with him.
But with Mason’s rapist behind bars for good, I was ready to check the next goddamned thing off my list.
I put through a call to Alex while driving home from the courthouse for a much deserved break—and a nap.Surprisingly, he answered.
“JJ,” he greeted, thankfully not sounding high when I’d last gotten in touch with him.
“Busy?”I asked, needing to get to the point.
“Uh…yeah.At the office until later tonight.”
“Can you swing by after work?We need to talk.”
“I’ll try.Shit is crazy here right now, and I have a few things I need to take care of.I’ll give you a call when I’m done.”
Sure he would.Same as he’d promised the last time I almost tied him down to a meeting.
“Sounds good,” I lied, hanging up after he insisted he had to go.
How could a guy in finance be swamped to the point he worked up to twelve-hour days according to Teresa?Sometimes late into the night?
I didn’t doubt his addiction getting its claws into him again.Avoidance had been his MO the first time around, and blaring sirens rang in my head, pointing neon signs at the wordUSING!in my head.
Maybe I needed to just say shit over the phone or text and not bother giving him another minute of my life.He’d been stringing me on too goddamned long as it was already.
If he hadn’t been my friend since middle school, I would have chosen that route, making myself available only to Teresa and the boys.But even though he’d taken advantage of my loyalty, I still felt I owed him a face-to-face breakup of whatever we were.
Or had been, rather.
Once home, I sprawled out on my couch regardless of the afternoon hour and closed my eyes, gladly giving in to the need to sleep.
When I finally woke up to find evening had crept in, I sat in my living room in the dark.My thoughts went to Kellen as they did every night when loneliness settled in.We had texted a few times when he’d been at his parents since I’d visited, but nothing serious.More catching up and checking in with each other than deep conversations.
There were no late night FaceTimes for mutual jerking sessions.No sexting.Not even anI miss you tooin response to the text I’d sent him almost a week ago.I assumed he’d been up at camp and hadn’t yet received the message.
Thanksgiving was in three days.He would be surrounded by family, being loved.Appreciated.Wanted.
I would be alone with none of those good feels since I’d turned down Teresa’s usual offer to spend the day with them in the hopes I would be with Kellen.
He hadn’t initiated an invite when I’d hinted that I wouldn’t have any place to go that day, and it shouldn’t have hurt as much as it had.Did he not trust me, or was he really that afraid of his desire for me?
Maybe he hadn’t caught my obvious as fuck hint…or maybe he believed that I would back out and end up spending the holiday with Alex and his family as I’d been doing for years.
I checked my cell.Other than the few short check-ins I’d had with Teresa, no one had called or texted.
No response from Kellen.
Nothing from Alex either, but I wasn’t surprised after his promises to get back to me and never doing so over the previous couple of weeks.Teresa couldn’t say one way or the other if he was on drugs, but my stomach twisted, annoyance furrowing my brow over how little all of our years together meant to him.
Alex had done nothing but take advantage of my kindness.My loyalty.And he gave nothing in return.
I was finished sacrificing myself for him.
