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Aoife's expression shifted from mild annoyance to outright frustration. She crossed her arms, her leg still swinging but the casual rhythm now gone, replaced with impatience.
"Are you serious, though?" she snapped, her voice rising with an edge that sliced through the air. "After everything he's put you through? And you're sitting here saying he's changing? God, I've heard this from you before." She stood up, pacing in front of me now, her energy vibrating with barely contained anger.
I flinched slightly at her words, but I held my ground, keeping my eyes fixed on the floor. "People can change, Aoife. It's possible."
"People can change?" She scoffed loudly, throwing her hands up in the air. "That's what you're banking on? That this asshole is suddenly going to wake up one day and not be a toxic, manipulative jerk? What did he do this time, huh? Flash you a sad puppy face and say he's sorry?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm now, the bite unmistakable.
I could feel Joey glance over from the car, but he kept quiet, letting Aoife do all the talking. I felt my cheeks burn with a mix of shame and frustration. "It's not like that," I started, my voice faltering under her intense glare.
"Then what is it like, huh?" she fired back, stepping closer. Her eyes were blazing, her usual playful demeanor replaced by something harsher, sharper. "Please enlighten me, because all I'm seeing is the same bullshit cycle. He messes up, he begs for forgiveness, you take him back, and then boom-repeat." She slapped her hands together for emphasis, the sound startling in the small garage.
"I'm not an idiot, Aoife," I snapped, finally meeting her gaze. "I know what it looks like, okay? But—"
"But what?" she interrupted, her voice louder now, almost trembling with how furious she was. "Do you even hear yourself? You sound exactly like I did with Paul. Exactly. You know how that ended, right? You were there. You saw me after everything fell apart."
I couldn't argue with that. I had seen it. I'd been the one picking up the pieces when Paul shattered her heart. But this wasn't the same, was it?
"You're not me," Aoife continued, her tone shifting slightly, though the anger still simmered beneath. "I get it, you want to believe people can change. But at some point, you have to stop making excuses for him." She exhaled heavily, shaking her head. "I'm saying this because I care about you. I don't want to watch you get hurt again."
I felt my throat tighten. "I'm not making excuses."
"Then what do you call it?" Her voice was quieter now, but still firm. "You're defending someone who doesn't deserve it. And for what? So you don't have to face the fact that maybe, just maybe, you're better off without him?" She threw the words at me like they were a challenge.
I clenched my jaw, my fists tightening by my sides. "You think I don't know that? You think I haven't thought about it? You don't know everything, Aoife. He's different when it's just us—"
