A Few Steps To Your Heart

Chapter 46

The number you have dialed...

One hundred messages, a thousand calls, and a million ways Gavin had pleaded with Georgia for weeks to talk to him, but there was no response. She continued to ignore each and every call, text, email, whatever he tried. He knew he had messed up when he spoke to her the way he did and left her in that restaurant. He understood he had hurt her deeply, and all he wanted now was to make amends, but school had already begun, and she refused to communicate with him. The wonderful connection that had begun between them had suddenly ended so abruptly, and he felt lost because of it. While he continued his physical therapy, he had regressed to his old self. However, he wasn't happy about that transformation.

"Gavin?" his mother called, knocking on his door.

"Not really in the mood to talk."

"No, you haven't been for weeks."

The door opened, and his mother poked her head inside, giving him a small smile.

"But I need to talk," she told him, coming over to him and occupying the chair Georgia had sat in beside him just to annoy him a little. At least that was her initial intention with that seat. His mother gave him a somber look, reaching out and taking his hand.

"You're reverting back."

"I know..."

"Gavin—"

"I messed up," he admitted. "I couldn't stop the garbage from pouring out of my mouth. I didn't used to be this way."

"No, you didn't."

"What happened to me, Mom?" he asked, and his mother saw the deep, broken look in her son's eyes. She squeezed his hand, showing that she was there, feeling his pain.

"You took a hard blow," she told him, making him almost chuckle, yet the pain was evident in his voice. "I don't just mean that literally. Your confidence, something you never lacked, took a hard hit, and since then you've been pretending. You've been acting as if you were fine on your own, but no one is fine on their own. I know this wasn't easy for you. None of it was, but you need to accept people being there for you. You need to accept their help."

"It's not so easy."

"You accepted Georgia's."

"It was different..." he sighed.

"Because you liked her from the beginning."

"What?"

"I am not blind."

"I didn't like her. I hated her almost," he defended.

"No, you didn't. You found her intriguing from the moment she stepped inside because that's the kind of person she is. She catches people's interest right away," his mother said and smiled at him.

Gavin pondered it, realizing his mother had a point. He hadn't told her exactly what had happened between him and Georgia, but he felt more ready to share.

"Cami and Brice showed up... when we were eating," Gavin whispered, seeing his mother squeeze her eyes shut briefly and mutter a "crap". "I thought I was more ready to face the world, but I wasn't, and I took it all out on Georgia."

"Yeah, that's... that's a terrible move."

Gavin chuckled and nodded.

"It truly was."

"But with someone as forgiving as Georgia, I think you could win her back," his mother insisted.

Gavin shook his head. "She won't even talk to me."

"Then go to her, prove to her you're willing to work for it."

"Words aren't enough," he sighed.

"How do you know?"

Gavin shook his head. He wanted to go find Georgia, but after what he had done, he felt like he had to prove himself. He had to show that he could do more for her, that he could be a better person.

"I want to wait."

"Wait?" she questioned.

"She deserves a proper partner in life. One who won't lash out the way I did. I think I have some work to do," he admitted.

His mother smiled, squeezing his hand again. "That's a significant step to admit that."

"I'm sorry, Mom. For everything I put you and Dad through as well."

"When you become a parent, you accept that sometimes things happen to your children, and all you can do is be there for them," she whispered.

"Thank you."

"I'm always here."

"I know," he said, and they remained like that, smiling at each other, feeling something healing between them.