Imagining Us

Ch.60- The Reality of it all

"I'm sorry. Do I know you?" Esi asked.

Talia narrowed her eyes at the slight.

"He does like a bit of sass...makes those pretty eyes of his darken," Talia smarted.

Esi didn't respond to her, but she did glance at her watch. At this rate, she was going to be late for class.

Plus, she felt uncomfortable. She'd suspected it, but didn't want to think of Porte and Talia possibly having any type of situationship.

Her mind was already running rampant, and even though it wasn't her business, she wanted to know. A part of her wanted to know if it could affect whatever she and Porte had now.

The fact that Talia stood in front of her–confronting her–meant that something had lingered. That or maybe the girl was unhinged.

Whenever Porte mentioned her, it was never anything pleasant, but they were still bonded by the fact that they'd lost someone important to them.

"Is there a reason why you're here?" Esi asked. "If you have something to say, just say it."

There was an edge to her words now because she was irritated.

"Do you know what happened to his mom? What he did to–to my sister?" Her voice fell to a ghostly level. " I know him...what he deserves. I'm the only one who knows what he needs. The only one who can handle him."

Talia paused and Esi wanted to scoff. She wanted to hope that what she and Porte shared was different, special even.

"We're from the same world. We know about the pressures of growing up in a life like this. That's something that you won't. You'll never understand him like I do."

Esi's head was spinning.

Every time she thought things were going smoothly, something would pop up.

"Listen, girl–"

Talia reached out to touch her arm.

Uh uh.

Esi pulled away, and Talia narrowed her eyes.

"I'm actually looking out for you–woman to woman. You don't want to get caught up in all of this. Save yourself the inevitable heartbreak," she said, leaning down to keep eye contact. "He'll always come back to me–he's tried to move on before."

Talia pursed her lips, debating her next words.

"Has there been a time when he went off the grid completely? Just disappeared–no calls, no texts–"

Esi thought of last Christmas, but he came back to her. It was a small comfort in the face of all this history.

"If it hasn't happened yet, it will," she continued. "When he's with me, he puts away everything else, I'm his only focus. You need to stay away from him–from them, if you know what's good for you."

She made it seem like she was looking out for Esi, and maybe from her twisted perspective–from what she knew–Talia thought that she was being altruistic.

Esi knew that there were more than one sides to a story, and she'd heard some of Porte's version. Perhaps she could also ask Luka, although his might be slightly skewed.

It was just too much, especially Talia showing up where she lived. Her attempts to intimidate and manipulate her.

There was a  struggle to maintain composure; she wouldn't give her that win.

"You need to move so I can leave," Esi gritted. Her eyes stung.

There was a war of looks before Talia reluctantly started to walk away, and Esi released the breath that she was holding.

The whole thing felt juvenile.

Was this what she should expect being involved with Porte?

It was clear, just looking at Talia–if that was what he went for– that she was different though neither Porte or Luka had ever made Esi feel otherwise.

Coming from the gala, some of the reactions to her, she couldn't deny that their world was something that she would have to get accustomed to.

Was it worth it?

Was he worth it?

Esi reached the handle to open her door.

"Oh Elizabeth," Talia said saccharinely. "There's an alumni event on campus in a few weeks–"

Why was she telling her this?

"I think the psychology department might be having another mixer...if you go, you might see a familiar face."

Esi flinched and her fingers slipped off the door handle.

No.

No.

How did she know–

Andrew.

She watched as a wide smile grew on Talia's face. She was happy that her words had found their mark.

Esi opened her door and sat in the driver's seat.

She could feel her heart racing, and her breaths felt shallower. She closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe deeply.

For all the talk that she had about not letting her experience with Andrew be lauded over her.

For all that she had to say about moving on, why was her body reacting this way.

It was less of him and more of the flashbacks to that night.

It was more of the hurt that her younger self had experienced that caused her to feel emotional. She hated that because of her lack of awareness–her lack of openness to her family and friends that there was no warning of the heartache and embarrassment that she would face.

Esi wanted to call Porte immediately. He was the first person that she wanted to talk to, but nothing that Talia had said was untrue.

Compounded with her words were Andrew's ringing in her ear.

She didn't belong–not truly–and no amount of imagining could surpass the reality of that.

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A/N

I really wanted to make this a two-POV chapter, but I decided not to, so be sure to stick around for the next update. Think tension, understanding, longing and regret. But I think that it goes along well with this. What will Esi do after this conversation with Taila?

We know that she's a bit of an overthinker, and rightfully so after Talia's final words. How will that affect her 'relationship' with Porte? Or should she just dismiss Talia's ramblings altogether.

Is there any truth to Talia's words? Especially her "off the grid" statement? Is Porte a risk that she's willing to take or will she abandon the notion completely?

It seems like she'd taken a large step forward only having to now take steps back and re-examine everything.

Will she confront Porte or bottle the whole situation?

Stay tuned to see what happens next!

Thank you so much for reading and coming along on this journey!

Xx