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Fresh out of the shower, I dried my body and towel-dried my hair before adding moisturizing products to it. Once I was done, I returned to the bedroom to get dressed. I settled on an oversized shirt and leggings, grabbed my phone, and opened the browser to look for a cab. Not so much to my surprise, my service was disconnected. Raymond and I were on the same phone plan. If he would cut off my credit cards, surely he would cut off my phone too.
I sighed as I connected to the hotel’s Wi-Fi to book the ride. Someone knocked at my door just as I was about to hit confirm. I knew it was nobody but Avyn. Setting down the phone, I went to answer. When I opened the door, she stood there in her regular clothes. She must have been off today. Her eyes widened as they settled on me.
“You’re up... and dressed.”
“Yeah...”
“You look better, Pash.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Can I come in? I want to talk to you.”
“Can it wait? I need to take care of some things today, Avyn.”
“No, it can’t wait.”
She brushed past me and came into the room. I closed my eyes, silently cursing as I closed the door. Walking back to the living room area, I found her sitting on the couch. She patted the space beside her. Begrudgingly, I sat.
“So I met Callum.”
I swallowed hard. “Oh?”
“Yeah. I had to beg, but he told me what happened. Why didn’t you call me, Pasha? Me or Tia or Blake? One of us would have come to you, and you know that.”
“I was embarrassed!” I yelled. “That man put my shit on the front lawn for all to see. He put me out of my home to move a new bitch in! She’s pregnant, Avyn. He’s finally getting what he wanted and has no use for me anymore! Do you know how that felt? I gave everything to that man. I put him above myself time and time again, and this is what he did to me.
“I damn near watched him grow to hate me while I still loved him as best as I could. I put so much blame on myself for how fucked up my mental was, but I’m human. I feel pain just like the next person. I tried to heal and deal with it through therapy, but it was too much, Avyn... It was just too much!”
I broke down crying, and she pulled me into her arms, rocking me. I just accepted it. There was no way I could keep fighting against her. Avyn was nothing if not persistent. Now that she knew the truth, she would never leave my side.
“Look at me.” She cupped my face. “I love you... Don’t you know that? There is nothing you can’t bring to me, nothing I won’t go through with you. Fifteen years of friendship are between us. I’ve always had your back. If you can’t count on another soul in this life, you count on me... Every. Single. Time. I got you.”
She kissed my forehead and wiped my eyes.
“Come on.” She stood to her feet, pulling me along with her. “We’re gonna pack your things, and you’re coming to stay with me. I’ve got a spare bedroom, and it’s yours for as long as you need it.”
“I can’t—”
“You can, and you are. I’m not asking, and I’m not fighting with you. You are going to let me help you. Period. Now, come help me pack up this stuff.”
She didn’t wait for me to protest. As she grabbed my suitcase and started folding my clothes, I shuffled from side to side. Maybe this was part of the journey to starting over. I couldn’t do it alone, and she wouldn’t let me. Maybe Callum was the blessing I needed to jump-start. Thinking of him made me question how Avyn ran into him in the first place. Slowly, I walked over to the pile of clothes and began picking them up to fold.
“Avyn?”
“Yes?”
“How did you meet Callum?”
“He came in here looking for you.”
“What?”
“He wanted to make sure you were okay, Pasha. I could tell he was genuinely concerned about your well-being. His spirit felt genuine.”
I looked away. “It did. I probably would have gotten arrested if it weren’t for him.”
“He said bricks were thrown?”
