Tell Me You Love Me [COMPLETED]

Chapter 28: Get in Your Place

Friday May 29, 2020 - Tampa General Hospital

Joe POV

I check my watch and it is about...

3:01 PM

...and Rufus is about to get his day ruined and by a woman just waking up from a coma no less; I am so here for it.

"I know you're upset, I knew you'd see that video, I was wrong, but you and Joe, y'all been—"

"I'm gonna stop you right there. What Joe and I do is none of your business; you chose to get those messages and pictures printed out. As far as that's concerned, you and I were over from the moment you laid your hands on me again, the moment you raised your hand to hit me again. For the past eight years of my life I let you tear me down, use me to feed your ego, treat me however you saw fit like you were the main attraction and I was just the unfortunate side show that was lucky enough to stand beside you. You always wanna talk about how much you've done for me, how 'bout we talk about what I've done for you, hm?"
"Aesha—"
"Shut. Up."

He straightens up and shuts his mouth, as he should.

"Have you told anyone about how many conference calls I've taken for you because you were sick and by 'sick' I mean too hungover to function? You ever tell anyone who it was stayin' up late at night witchu checking your sales, orders, the stock market? Who it was helping you calculate what prices to charge, helping you determine which company to have deliver for you? Ask yourself, after a drunken night of berating and beating her, who it was getting up early to cook you breakfast and iron your clothes so you could look like something at a business meeting you were almost late to 'cause you were such a drunken mess the previous night and she still had to go take a three hour long short answer only art history test. Ask yourself who's been down for you since day one despite how you treated her, then ask yourself why she's not dealing with it anymore."

He doesn't say anything, Aesha's gaze burning holes through him but he remains silent.

"I've spent too many nights waiting up for you, too many nights crying over you, I've shed too much blood at your hands, lost too much of myself to make you feel good; no more. No. More. I am done with you, it's time that I get back to loving myself and I don't care how you feel about it or what you do, this is it, this is the end. We. Are. Done." She growls at him and he finally speaks up.

"But, baby, I-I...what about Joe??"
"What about Joe, Rufus?"

Yeah, what about me?

"You left me and went straight to him; how you 'getting back to yourself' but you fuckin' with him? You ain't really tryna fix nothin', you need a man to feel complete, you just mad 'cause I saw it before you did."

I go to say something but Aesha signals for me to stay quiet, so I do.

"First off, like I said, what Joe and I do is none of your business but since you're so concerned about it, let me just say this: Joe and I have been messin' around, yes, but even just through that, he's made me feel so good about myself. The way he touches me, the way he talks to me, he's reminded me of all the things I love about myself physically and internally; he treats me with care and respect and he never makes me feel like I'm second to him, he always makes me feel important and appreciated. You never loved me, even after all these years you still never truly loved me, just loved the way I made you feel. How the fuck you let another man come in and make me feel like queen while I was still with your sorry ass, I don't know but you did and I'm so glad you slipped up and that I was awoken enough to take that opportunity to start this new journey of my life without you in it."