Beautiful Dichotomy

chapter 40

"I can't wait to see you either," Rae gushed on the phone as she walked swiftly down the street. Barely able to focus on her surroundings as her and Samuel were on the phone, "I'm almost there... yeah I brought my laptop cause I have to finish this paper but-"

Rae grunted as she was shoulder checked hard, her phone plopping on the sidewalk. "Excuse you," she said with as much anger as she could muster in her voice before reaching to grab her phone. Samuel asking if she was alright but she couldn't hear as she froze.

"Rae, is that you?" Michael said as he looked down at her, "you look good!"

Feeling waves of anxiety hit her all at once, she forgot Samuel was on the phone as she gripped it tight. One of her fingers accidentally hanging the phone up. Rubbing her shoulder with her other hand as it was sore, she tried her best to fake a smile... but it didn't work.

She could feel the slight tremble in her hand.

"Rae?" His tone seeming annoyed as she shook her head slightly to get rid of the ringing. Michael's beautiful eyes piercing hers as she just nodded, "hey, long time."

"Yeah! Where you headed? Wanna get a drink?"

Her hand begging to drop her phone once again as she continued to shake. All her muscles were tense and she wasn't sure what to do.

"You still work from home?"

His questions felt more like an interrogation, reminding her of the time she wasted on him. "Yeah but I- I moved. I just am heading to see-"

"I'll walk you! Let's catch up," he beamed down at her, now walking towards her to walk beside her.

"No thank you, that's fine. I'm fine. It was- um cool seeing you."

His expression falling as the other people on the street sucked their teeth at the obstruction. Now stepping aside, he still followed her. "So is that it? You hate me now or something?" He tried to joke with her but she didn't laugh or smile. Just looked around awkwardly. "Rae we didn't end on bad terms or anything. You even said you wanted to be friends."

"You never answered me." She interrupted the impending rant he was going to go on. One of his many red flags.

"You were sending fucking paragraphs and you know I was going through stuff."

Now rolling her eyes, she tried to walk away, "bye Michael."

Effortlessly catching up to her, he preserved, "c'mon Charles, just meet me for a drink. No big deal, it's on me. I just wanna catch up..." his stupid nickname now making her anxiety amplify and turn into white hot anger, "I miss you like a lot but you blocked me so I couldn't tell you."

"Michael!" She stopped dramatically, "seriously, let it go. I don't wanna catch up and the last thing I wanna do is have a drink with you. I'm seeing someone and-"

He laughed much too loud, as if what she said was absurd, "if you think I'm trying to get you back or somethin, you're buggin yo. I just asked to catch up... let's not forget that you're the one who begged me to talk to you and be your friend."

His words actually managing to hurt her.

After almost a year, he could still do that.

How and why did his words still get to her?

Her ring tone blaring, thankfully cutting through their conversation as she saw Samuel's name. Michael looking down at the caller ID before she answered, "hey. No I'm okay," her tone immediately shifting, sounding relieved: glad to hear Samuel's voice, "I just got caught up. Someone hit my shoulder and I dropped my phone. Yeah, I'm right next to it so I'll be there in a minute."