Accept Me As I Am

Chapter 24

Shanelle had been staying with the girls for more than a week, ignoring each and every one of Jaylin's calls. When she would answer his calls, it was just him asking her to come back home. There was no apology or explanation for his actions. She may not have known for sure if he was cheating or not but she was sure that he was hiding something big enough for him to have to lie to her. As much as she loved Jaylin she loved herself more and she was damned sure tired of being lied to. A relationship is nothing without trust. If you don't have trust, you don't have anything and Jaylin needed to understand that.

As Shanelle sat in her office typing up financial reports for her clients, her mind kept drifting off to Jaylin. As angry as she was at Jaylin, she was more hurt. She trusted Jaylin to never lie to her, to never hurt her and in the end he did it anyway. She blinked back tears as she continued typing. She wasn't going to shed another tear, she refused to.

A few minutes later, Gabrielle came walking into Shanelle's office holding a large vase of flowers. "Honey, Jaylin is here and wanted me to give you these."

Shanelle looked up and saw the beautiful arrangement of flowers in Gabrielle's hands. A sad sigh slipped from between her lips. "Why is he doing this to me?" she asked looking up at Gabrielle. "He can't just bring flowers and think all is forgiven. Did he really think I was just going to run into his arms and forget everything? No, no that's not fair. Shit doesn't work that way," Shanelle said as tears filled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day.

After placing the flowers on the windowsill, Gabrielle walked over and hugged Shanelle. When she looked up she saw Jaylin standing there with tears in his eyes. She could see the sadness in his eyes as clear as day. There was no denying that he was in the same emotional boat as Shanelle. She gave him a small smile as she continued to comfort her friend. Jaylin gave a simple nod and walked out of the office. Sooner or later they needed to sit down and talk. No secrets or lies, nothing but the truth once and for all.

After Shanelle calmed down, Gabrielle told her that everything would be okay before she left Shanelle alone with her thoughts, closing the door behind her. 
Shanelle looked over at the flowers sitting on her windowsill she saw a card sticking out like a sore thumb among the beautiful flowers. Allowing her curiosity to get the best of her, she walked over and took the card out of its envelope and read the cards message:

My dearest Shanelle, I wish I could explain to you what I'm going through. By my unanswered text messages and ignored calls I know you probably could careless and I can't say I blame you. I've acted like such an ass towards you. I wouldn't be surprised if you never talked to me again. Babe, I just want you to know I love you with every beat of my heart. Every day we're apart, it breaks over and over again. I know I probably sound like some lovesick kid, but I don't care. I'm tired of not being with you. I miss you. I miss your laugh and your smile. I want that back and I'll do whatever it takes to do it. Meet me tomorrow night at home. There I will tell you whatever you want to know. I hope you'll be there. Till then, take care of yourself. See you soon. Hopefully... With all my love,
Jaylin 

As Shanelle finished the letter she held it to her chest and cried. She loved Jaylin more than humanly possible and because of it, her heart had been broken. What if what he had to tell her tore them apart for good? What would she do then? There were a series of thoughts coursing through her mind. She knew at the end of the day she couldn't stop loving him even if she tried. He would always have her heart. 

On the outside of her office door Gia and Gabrielle stood there with troubled looks on their faces. Just hearing Shanelle's sobbing tore at their hearts. Saying a silent prayer for Shanelle and Jaylin, Gia grabbed her sister's hand and walked away from the door. Maybe they would deal with their problem one way or another, but it was up to them to fix it and no one else.