Freedom

Chapter 21

Andyln’s POV…

   “A week since he’s kissed me,” I told Jade as I twirled my straw in my water nervously.

“Has he texted you or called you at all?” She asked, leaning in anxiously.

“None, I’ve texted him once the day after, and he never responded,” I said, avoiding her gaze in embarrassment.

  “What the hell,” she exclaimed.

  “I don’t know,” I responded, sighing.

   We were at my favorite restaurant, Via Italian Table, I was eating my favorite meal: Vegetable Primavera with fresh Ziti, but due to the mood Jace put me in I could barely eat anything. After he kissed me, his manager called and made him to go work, he promised me he’d call me back, but he didn’t. It occurred to me he always did that, he got close to me, then pushed me away. It annoyed me in every way, and made me want to strangle him, but at the same time I wanted to hug and kiss him and never let them go.

   “I don’t get it, he does this so much. He sees he’s getting close to me, then he pushes me away,” I said, in aggravation.

   “Give him space, and see what happens,” she responded.

   I do, and he seems to enjoy it, but at the same time, he wants me to talk to him first. I don’t understand his motives,” I said in frustration.

  Jace was like an abstract painting, I never really understood abstract paintings, even when I got close to them; they never made sense from far away to me, nor did they make sense when you got closer. Is this what was always going to happen? Was he always the type to run out on me whenever I wanted him there the most? I never liked people entering and exiting my life, it was unorganized.

   “Why do you like him, Andyln? Why didn’t you let Felecia have him instead?” Jade asked, curious.

  “I don’t know, there’s something about him that I can’t let go of. He doesn’t meet any of my standards like Evan did, he doesn’t dress right, he doesn’t clean anything, he’s the most  laziest person I know, he doesn’t care about anything, he doesn’t have good posture, and he doesn’t follow the safety rules while he’s driving. The more I spent time with him, the more I began to accept everything about him, even those little annoying habits, I got used to him.” I responded, now realizing how true that was, and how my heart thudded in my ears at the thought of him.

  “Felecia talked to him,” Jade said, avoiding my gaze.

   “What?” I said, trying to stop the fast pace of my heart, and how my hands got super clammy.

   “She told me about it, and asked him about you, she figured out you guys hung out,” Jade said, twirling her finger around a lock of hair, something she does when she’s nervous.

  “Oh, God, I wonder what else she said,” I replied, horrified at the thought of her talking to Jace.

  “He doesn’t want her, trust me on that,” Jade said, smirking.

  “What makes you say that?” I asked, sulking.

   “Most guys go crazy, literally, over Felecia. If he liked her, he would’ve done like all the rest of them did, and gone after her. But he didn’t because he’s crazy for you, I think you should call him, and leave him a voice mail, and see what happens,” she squeezed my hand for comfort.

   That sounded so easy, but it was more complicated than that. I mentally made the choice I wasn’t going to call him, I was going to wait for him to suck his pride in and talk to me. I didn’t want to waste my time on someone who did not care about me, nor wanted me. It was aggravating enough that he never talked about himself, and if he did I would have to ask, and even more aggravating that he was pushing me away. I knew I should’ve talked to him about it, but I felt like there was nothing I could do anymore. Maybe that kiss was a mistake, and maybe I should stay away from him, no matter how much that hurt.