Save Room For Us (18+)

Chapter 39: Worth A Thousand Words

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Chapter 39: Worth A Thousand Words
Nevaeh

It has been five months and I returned to the place where I was finally becoming my happiest. I hadn't spoken to Damon since being away. I kept contact with my sister and mom. I didn't hold much of a grudge against either of them. I let go of all my anger in Atlanta where I got to know the family I never knew I had.

I looked outside of Tessa's bedroom window. I opened it to allow summer to wrap itself around me like a warm embrace, the air thick with the scent of freshly cut grass and salty ocean breeze. Summer wasn't my favorite season but it had its beauty. Winter was a peaceful slumber beneath a blanket of snow, summer was a vibrant awakening, bursting with color and the rush of fleeting moments. These past seasons made this feel even more apparent. I felt like I was always asleep, not really in control of where I was or where I was going. But now, after learning the truth, I finally feel awake.

The creak of the bedroom door caught my attention. I turn my head over to see Tessa at her doorway, arms crossed. She had this look on her face that was a little hard to read. Her eyes stayed on me. "You need to talk to him, love. It has been two weeks."

Two weeks.

It had been two weeks since I returned from Atlanta, since I left Maleek's warmth behind and stepped back into my life in Connecticut. Two weeks since I had stepped off that plane, hoping that maybe, just maybe, time would have made things easier. But all it had done was create more distance, more space between me and Damon. I couldn't stop thinking about him. About what I had left behind.

But I couldn't bring myself to face him. Every time I thought about talking to him, my stomach twisted into knots. The guilt weighed so heavily on my chest that it felt like I was suffocating. I left him with nothing but a letter—a letter that didn't even come close to explaining why I left. And in these two weeks, I hadn't heard a word from him. Not a call. Not a text. Nothing. And the silence was like a hundred-pound weight pressing down on my heart.
To be honest, I didn't make much of an effort to talk to him either. But I was sure he knew I returned.

With the same circle of friends and the connections he had, I was sure he knew I was here. My hands found their ways to the pages of this new book I was reading. As I was flipping through the rough pages, Tessa spoke again, "Vae..."

I closed the book and shut my eyes. I took a deep breath before opening them again. "I don't know if I can," I admitted. "I don't know what to say. What if he doesn't want to hear from me?"

"Why wouldn't he? You are the love of his life, the girl of his dreams. He would be dumbass," she said as she walked closer to me, sitting on another seat by the window.

"You don't understand. I left him without really saying exactly why." I bit my lip, tossing the book over and pulling my knees to my chest. "What if he's moved on? What if he's angry? He deserves better than what I gave him—better than I could offer him. I just... I can't go back and undo everything."

Tessa's gaze softened, but there was a strength in her words. "You can't undo it, no. But you can own it. You can tell him why you did it. You owe him that much."

"I know," I whispered, closing my eyes as if the weight of my regret might disappear if I just pretended it wasn't there. "I just—I don't even know where to start. What if he doesn't care anymore? What if he hates me?"