Saving Hearts

Chapter 26: Wesley

Note: Trying to close this story out but trying to figure out the ending. 

"The past few weeks have been tougher than expected. Thoughts of Gisele have occupied my mind daily, and I had hoped it would eventually become easier to move on from these feelings. Unfortunately, the opposite occurred; my feelings intensified. I just wanted to see her or talk with her.

To cope, I immersed myself in more intense workouts. Recently, I finished a run with my sister. Amidst these challenges, one positive change emerged: My sister moved in with me. Having her around brought a sense of comfort and companionship that I sincerely appreciated.

"Are you still trying to avoid Gisele?" my sister questioned.

I wasn't deliberately avoiding Gisele; I was attempting to move on from my feelings for her. A few weeks ago I was consumed with thoughts of Gisele. I had this irrational belief that taking another woman out might help distract me or alleviate my thoughts about Gisele. The first person who came to mind was Danielle, whom I hadn't seen or spoken to since meeting Gisele.

Danielle, a bartender I'd known for years, was always up for fun without any commitment, which suited me at the time. She was someone I'd take to the hotel, nothing more. I never asked her on a proper date or talked about being exclusive. When I called to ask her out to dinner, she was shocked. Danielle expressed her frustration at being ghosted for months. I couldn't blame her for being upset. Before I could explain anything, she advised me to take my wife out to dinner. I wanted to clarify that my wife had died, but she ended the call abruptly before I could respond.

Before I met Gisele, I only took two women to the hotel room: Danielle and Jacqueline. My next call was to Jacqueline. The way things ended with Jacqueline; I was sure Jacqueline would not answer. She answered on the second ring.

"I'm surprised you are calling me. I saw you at the gala with a new woman." I admittedly regretted calling her. "Your new girl must have told you I talked to her," she added.

Now, I was curious, and she had my attention. When did she talk with Gisele? How did I miss that? I saw her at the gala, but we kept our distance.

"I am not sure what you mean."

"O, she didn't tell you. Then, I guess my warning helped her, and she is no longer with you."

Reflecting on the situation, I came to understand that I had caused her pain. When I ended things, I believed I was justified because I had been clear about not wanting a deeper connection. I didn't have any emotional attachment and didn't consider her feelings. Now, I'm beginning to see that I owe apologies to several people for my actions.

I simply said, "Jacqueline, I am sorry. The way I treated you was unfair, and I'm sorry."

"Why would you lie when your wife isn't died?" she asked.

I was unsure how she knew that, but I would not question her.

"Because I did not want a serious relationship," I informed her.

"Are you calling me because now you do?"

I reached out to her with the intention of asking her out to dinner, hoping it might distract me from thoughts of Gisele. However, I quickly realized that would be selfish. I didn't have any romantic feelings for Jacqueline, yet it was evident that she had feelings for me. Continuing to use her to ease my mind would be unfair and wrong.

"I just wanted to apologize for how I treated you."

She ended the call without another word.

Then I almost slept with Dr. Hope. She came into my office as she normally does. She was provocative and seductive as usual, so I decided to take her up on her insinuations. I locked my office door and bent her over my desk. The only problem was I couldn't get hard. My penis was working against me, and I was glad for that. I had no business having sex with Dr. Hope. This only aggravated Dr. Hope.

It left me to reflect. If I felt the need to apologize to Jacqueline, then it was equally important to apologize to Gisele. I tried calling her, but my calls went unanswered, so I resorted to texting. Over the past two weeks, I've sent around 30 texts and attempted to call her every day, but each call went to voicemail. I also left over 20 voice messages, yet she hasn't responded to any of my attempts to reach out.

I explained to Jazmine that I tried to call and text Gisele, but I haven't heard back.

"I think she has you blocked," Jazmine informed me.

I thought she might have me blocked. I did not want to just show up at her job. I knew Jeremy and Crystal were planning an engagement party. I was going to reach out to her then.

"I'll see her in a month, so I will talk with her then," I informed Jazmine.

"That's too long. You need to figure out how to get your girl back now," Jazmine pushed.

She was right, and I needed to figure out how to talk with Gisele immediately. As I started to make lasagna, I tried to figure out how to reach out to Gisele. Jazmine sat on the barstool at the center island.

"Maybe Jeremy can help you," Jazmine suggested.

"Jeremy would have to do a setup, and I don't want her to be mad when she sees me."

"Who cares? She will get over it once you confuse your undying love for her." I laughed. "Make sure you buy her flowers and maybe some nice jewelry..."

"Gisele is not impressed by gifts," I cut in. Jazmine squinted her eyes at me. "Remember you suggest I buy dresses for her. She saw the price tags and informed me she couldn't take the dress," I informed her.

"How much were the dresses?"

"Each was a thousand or more."

"And you left the tags on them!" she hollered. I shrugged my shoulder. How was I supposed to know you should take the tags off? "Women always like nice things, but a woman who is not impressed by money doesn't need to know how much you spent."

"Noted."

Jazmine went on to lecture me about how I should treat a woman. I only half listened. I was thinking about getting Jeremy to help me with Gisele. I think I would have to talk with Crystal and plead my case with her first, and then maybe Crystal could help me out.

I put a pause on the lasagna and reached for my phone. I was going to call Jeremy; however, my phone started to vibrate once I reached for it. Gisele's name popped up on the screen. I showed Jazmine the phone.

"Answer it," she yelled.

"Hello," I said.

"Hey, Wesley."

"Hey, Gisele."

"I need to talk to you about something, and it needs to be in person. Are you at work?"

I was happy to hear her say that. I was unsure what she wanted to talk about, and I did not care as long as I could see her in person.

"I am at home."

"Can I stop by now? I can be there in like 30 minutes."

"Yes." I gave her the address, and she hung up.

To my sister, I said, "She's on her way here."

Jazmine did a happy dance in her seat and then lectured me about being polite and making sure I apologized. I was just happy I would get to see her, and I did not have to talk Jeremy into helping me. This was my time to make things right.