Damage Repaired

Chapter 47

When Monday rolled around, I wasn't in the mood to get out of bed, but for the kids, I'd do anything, and today, we were having a fundraiser selling cookies and beverages at the park. Getting ready, I tossed my hair in a high ponytail and threw on leggings, the fundraiser t-shirt Emily made for everyone, and running shoes. I was out the door by 7:15 AM after scarfing down a protein bar and chasing it down with water. Since moving out of the penthouse and into my new apartment, I made it a habit to start walking to work now that I lived closer. In all honestly, it was the highlight of my day. Breathing in the fresh air, feeling the warm sun kissing my skin, my mind free of negative thoughts, only focusing on the positives. It was very refreshing, to say the least. As soon as I hit the sidewalk, I popped my AirPods in, blasting music like I always did, then started the fifteen-minute walk. About two minutes in, I felt a presence looming over me, and when I looked over my shoulder, my heart got stuck in my throat because there Nathaniel was, calm as ever, trailing behind me in his work suit, hands tucked into his pockets like he had all the time in the world.

"Morning," I saw his mouth form the words.

I ripped my AirPods out of my ear and whirled around to face him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Fighting."

Fighting for me—for us.

I sighed and stared up at him. "Did you not hear what I said yesterday about it being too late and moving on?"

"Loud and clear, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends."

I narrowed my eyes. "The last time we tried to be friends ended with you finger fucking me in the middle of the woods and me on my knees covered in your cum."

His lips twitched at the memory. "True."

"Carter is your only friend, and I'm sure he hates your ass ninety percent of the time."

He chuckled. "Also true."

"So what makes you think we could actually be friends, Nathaniel, honestly?"

"Hope," he shrugged. "Hope that things will be different this time, hope that as friends we'll be able to talk about things rather than hiding secrets from each other, which was what we should've been doing in the first place, but I was too...immature to realize it was much simpler than I made it out to be. Hope that after you give me a chance to explain my side of things and thought process, you'll understand why I made certain decisions, whether they were the best or not. Hope that we can establish a healthy foundation, one we should've established a long time ago." He took a step forward. "Anastazi, I will chase you to the ends of the earth if that's what you want, but I would rather we stop running from each other and face our problems and challenges together, not as a couple or as lovers but simply as friends." I didn't miss the way his eye twitched at the word. "That's all I'm asking for, for a chance to do things right this time. Deep down inside, you know I'm right, though you might be too stubborn to admit it out loud." Nathaniel pulled out a small doorknob sign from his pocket that was all green and handed it to me. "Take all week to decide what you want to do, and if you want to talk, put that sign on your door. If you truly don't want to hear me out and want nothing to do with me, throw it away, and when I come by Saturday, I'll know what decision you made."

I put the sign in my small backpack and nodded. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask."

I thought about what he said when I continued the walk to work after he left, and I knew he was right. We spent so much time running away, never actually solving issues, only piling on top of them day by day. Talking things out with him as friends would potentially give me the closure I'd been wanting since the day I came back and could help me move on the way I wanted once everything was on the table. Ignoring Nathaniel and pretending he didn't exist wouldn't solve anything, no matter how much I tried to trick myself into thinking it would. And in all honesty, I was sick and tired of this back and forth, hot and cold between us. It was getting old, so I didn't need a week to think about it; I knew exactly what I would do.