Just Love Me

Chapter 15: He's Back

Chapter 15

"All the sweet memories, all behind me / Always seem to find me" Toddla T – Take It Back

"Elle?"

            My head snapped up and I froze on the bottom step.

Two months.

        I hadn't heard that voice in over two full months. My heart pounded wildly against my chest, staring at those green eyes for the first time in over two months.

"Rick?"

            Dropping my phone, I ran over and jumped onto Rick. He stumbled back into the wall. I clung on him tightly as he regained his balance. "I missed you so much," I mumbled into his neck.

            There was a part of me that had started to give up hope that he would come back. A stronger part wondered what our first words would be. I daydreamed about cussing him out, hitting him, kissing him and everything in between. But anything that my mind dreamt up was erased the moment I saw him.

            I began to feel awkward when he didn't respond. He stood still while I stayed wrapped around his upper body unmoving. I inhaled his familiar scent of Ralph Lauren cologne. He smelled different now, still RL, but it was mixed with a pungent, harsh,

"You've been smoking?" I asked. When I didn't get an answer I pulled back to look at his face. Rick still had the same baby boyish face but it was hidden under a scruffy unkempt beard. His beautiful emerald eyes were droopy and he carried dark circles under the lower lashes. My eyes trailed downwards to his thinner neck and shoulders. My poor baby had lost so much weight. I felt like I was crushing him so I lowered my legs back to the floor.

"Excuse me," Rick finally spoke.

"Huh?" He bent down, picking up boxes I hadn't noticed before. His other hand clutched a stack of mail. I pouted watching him step around me and walk down the hallway, disappearing into the entertainment room.

            The air was cold with rejection but that didn't stop me from following Rick. I leaned against the doorframe observing his slimmer physique. He still had some muscles but not strong and firm like I was used to.

            Rick placed gloves on his hands and started assembling one of the many boxes he had with him. Once assembled, he unlocked his special filing cabinets and began to take his precious comics that were individually sealed in plastic bags and put them in a box.

            He did this over and over until one box was full. I never noticed how many comic books he had before.

I cleared my throat. "How are you?" He shrugged, continuing to pack. "Are you okay?" Another half shoulder shrug was my response. I threw my hands up in the air. What more could I do? I racked my brain thinking about why I was receiving a careless response but I didn't get it.

            Was this what my relationship came down too? Shrugs and silence. Like a flood, all the old emotions came back from when he was still here with me. Loneliness, confusion and a constant heartache.

            I left the entertainment room and went back into the kitchen to get the bottle of water I originally came downstairs for. I gulped half the bottle down on my way to the living room for my phone.

            Surprisingly, I had missed calls from Taylor, Joe and my mom. Since Joe called twice I dialed him first on my way up the stairs.

"Hey baby," he answered causing me to smile big.

"Hey you called?"

"Yeah, is everything good?" I bit my lip so I didn't 'aww' into the phone. This man was so sweet.