Estranged Lovers

26. The truth

The sun was almost at its highest point when Y/N awoke. Stephen's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm against her. They had sex for the bigger part of the night and were exhausted by the time they were finally satisfied and ready to let each other go.

Silently and a bit sore, she slid out of Stephen's grip, careful not to wake him, and went to the bathroom.

While the warm water ran down her body she thought about the previous day. Last night it was... Well, it was amazing. Not only the sex but the bond they had shared together. The fact that they really do love each other. But it would never have happened if Leo hadn't lied, she knew that. The pull towards Leo had been too strong and she knew that she had already made her choice before she stepped into Stephen's bed yesterday. She just never said it out loud but her heart had known who she loved more.

So right now there was only one person she should choose.

And it wasn't Leo.

It wasn't Stephen.

It was herself.

She'd choose herself.

Deciding whether or not to remember had depended on her fear of one of them leaving her. Choosing one or the other had been about some gut feeling and making smart choices. But those weren't the right arguments.

It was as if the water washed away the haze of indecisiveness she had been living in the past couple of weeks. Determination filled her heart as she squared her shoulders. There would be no choosing anyone but herself. If she decides to remember it would be because she wants it. If she decided against it, it would be because she doesn't want to remember. To hell with the consequences. Losing one or the other. Love will persevere if it is true. No matter the man.

It'd be morning in Spain about now. Leo would probably be awake. After she had left, he had bombarded her with calls and text messages. The man was a real go-getter. But Y/N had not been in the mood to deal with it and had turned off her phone first thing after getting back to Kamar-Taj. Now, wrapped in her towel, she took her phone from the bathroom cabinet where she had left it last night. She noticed her chest tightening when she turned it on.

Beep bzzz beep bzzz beep bzzz

All the ignored messages flooded her screen. Angry, relentlessly mean messages that broke her heart. Gentle, warm and loving messages that mended it again and pleading messages that cleaved in two once more.

The last message was short.

Don't give up on me

Y/N loosed a deep breath, trying to relieve herself of the tension. She couldn't delay it any longer, she deserved answers and maybe he deserved a chance to be heard.

Hi, are you awake? Is there a place where we can meet? I'd rather not meet in one of our rooms.

Y/N put the phone down and put on her clothes. By the time she was combing her hair, the familiar buzzing alerted her.

I'm awake. How about the hotel's private lounge? I'll make sure it's ready in about 30 minutes.

Y/N took a moment to think about how to react. He didn't even mention his previous messages, just a cold reply. It made her angrier than she already was.

Sure.

There. They'll surely be fighting in about 30 minutes so no need to start something now.

Y/N put her phone in her pocket and quietly opened the door to the bedroom.

"I'm awake..."

Y/N looked toward the bed where Stephen lay on his stomach with his face in his pillow. He grunted.