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“Thank you.” She pulled me into a strong, warm hug. “God bless you.”
She kissed my cheek before letting me go, and I walked out the door. I didn’t know what it was about her, but I felt I’d be seeing her again. Maybe sooner than I thought.
Chapter Three
Pasha
The knock on my door broke me from my zoned-out state on the couch.
Since Callum left, I’d been sitting in this same spot, staring at the wall. He was the only person who knew I was here; surely, he hadn’t returned. Who could be knocking at the door? Maybe they had the wrong room. I didn’t want to be bothered anyway, so I just let them knock. It wasn’t until I heard my name that I paid attention.
“Pasha?”
Immediately, I recognized the voice. It was my best friend, Avyn. Well, I wasn’t sure I could call her my best friend anymore. I’ve been isolating myself from everybody for a while now. I didn’t know what was happening with them; all they knew was that I’d been a ghost. Avyn used to be my girl. I knew I’d spill everything to her if I answered this door.
“Pasha, are you in there?”
Again, I remained silent.
“I have a key... I’m coming in.”
The sound of the door unlocking caused me to groan. I heard the sound of heels clicking across the floor. When I looked up, Avyn was standing there with tears in her eyes. That’s when I noticed the hotel uniform and the tag that read General Manager. Of all the hotels to end up at, it would be the one where she worked.
She rushed over and pulled me into a hug.
“Pash... God, I’ve missed you. You just ghosted everybody. We’ve been worried about you, boo. Tia, Blake, and I have all been worried about you. Every time we called, you wouldn’t answer. We’d see your car every time we came by the house, but you wouldn’t answer the door. I’ve even gone to the hospital several times to talk to Ray, and every time, it was the same story: you just didn’t want to be bothered by us. We’ve been friends since we were thirteen, Pasha. How could you just shut us out like that?”
She finally stopped talking long enough to allow me to speak. Looking at her in the face, I felt horrible about abandoning our friendship. I just wasn’t in the headspace to deal with myself, much less anybody else. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I didn’t need her pity right now.
“I’m sorry,” I said honestly. “I just needed some time to myself, Avyn. My mental isn’t where it needs to be.”
“I get that, Pasha. I’ve seen you go through a lot in the last few years. You’ve been walking around with your spirit broken, and that son of a bitch has been no help—”
I cut her off. “I don’t want to talk about Raymond.”
“Did he do something to you?”
“No. I just... I just needed a break from life. I promise I’m fine.”
“Why are you lying to me?”
She stepped back and took a look around the room. My things were still in the middle of the floor. I hadn’t bothered to unpack or move them. Folding her arms, she looked back at me.
“You have a lot of things here for a ‘break,’ Pasha. I looked at your booking reservation. It said you’re here for two weeks. Who is Callum?”
“Avyn, please.”
“No!” she yelled, her voice cracking. “You’ve shut me out long enough. If something is going on, please let me help you. If Raymond is putting his hands on you—”
“He’s not putting his hands on me.”
“Then why else would you be all packed up in here on another man’s dime? Are you... Are you having an affair? That I could understand.”
“No, I’m not having an affair. Raymond isn’t physically abusing me. Callum is... He was an unexpected blessing. Nothing is going on there.”
Avyn shook her head. “I don’t like this. You’re hiding something from me, and if I have to run down on Raymond to find out what’s really going on with my best friend, I will.”
Her dislike of Raymond started after the death of our son. She didn’t like how he seemingly brushed the whole thing off. He took one day off from work to “grieve.” Anytime I caught him looking at me that day, there was no emotion on his face. If it weren’t for Avyn being there to ensure I had anything I needed, I would have been left to deal with it alone.
