I sat in my brother’s car and let the tears fall down uncontrollably. We sat in silence as we drove to Ryan’s house. There really wasn’t much to say. “I’m sorry about everything,” he whispered. “I wasn’t prepared for it to happen like that.”
“That makes two of us,” I muttered and glanced back out the window. “Did I really do the right thing?” I looked over to him. “I mean, giving up my relationship with mom for a guy?”
“Is Nick ‘just a guy’?” Brad glanced over at me. A smile curved on my lips as I remembered back to all the reasons why I loved Nick so much. I shook my head ‘no’. “Rachel, I know you and I know you’re brilliant. You think through everything before making any kind of major decision. You had to think about choosing between Nick and Ryan really hard, and if you thought about it and truly followed your heart and soul, then there’s nothing to worry about. Mom will come around. I know her. She can’t live without talking to you. Things will get better.”
“They didn’t get better for you,” I glanced at him.
“Well, mom and I never had the greatest relationship in the first place,” he laughed softly as we pulled into the driveway. “Remember back in middle school when I brought home my first ‘F’?” He asked. I winced and nodded.
“Mom didn’t talk to you for a month,” I sighed.
He nodded. “That’s just mom. You’ve always been her favorite. You always will be. Ryan’s just a guy. She can’t dwell on him forever.”
“I guess your right,” I sighed. We noticed that Ryan’s car was gone.
“I told him you were coming in so it wouldn’t be awkward,” Brad explained as we got out. I smiled weakly in his direction and sighed as we approached the front door. “You still have a key, right?”
“Yep,” I sighed and unlocked the door. It was very strange to be back in that house. The last time I had been in the house, things were fine – in fact, better than fine. Things had been perfect. I had only been living in the house for a short time; my mom was weird about it since we weren’t married yet. So most of my things were at my parents’ house. But when I left for New York, my mom tried to “surprise” me and she moved all my things into Ryan’s place.
“You okay?” Brad asked and put a supportive hand on my back as I took in the scent of the house. I nodded.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s just get this over with, okay?” I asked and he nodded. He brought in some of the boxes he had found and we began to pack up my things – most of which were clothes. I never owned my own furniture because I never lived on my own. This was all Ryan’s stuff.
We finished packing and I put my key on the kitchen counter. I wrote a note on a post-it note on the counter.
Ryan,
Thanks for everything. I hope you understand everything that happened between the two of us, and I want you to know that I will never forget you. Thank you for loving me like you did. Please don’t let this hurt you. That’s the last thing I would ever want to do.
Goodbye,
Rachel.
I couldn’t help the tears that filled my eyes as I put the remainder of the boxes in Brad’s car. To be honest, I wasn’t crying because I was sad about leaving Ryan. There were so many things put together. I was leaving. I was giving up the only home I had ever known and the man that loved me so much.
“Keep thinking about Nick,” Brad interrupted my thoughts.
“It’s like you can read my mind,” I giggled as I wiped away the stray tears. He shrugged and draped his arms across my shoulders.
“It’s an older brother thing,” he laughed. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”
I smiled and nodded as we headed off to a hotel. I would stay in town for a few more days to transfer my bank accounts and say goodbye to good friends. Fortunately, the worst part was over. But I needed to see Nick, or at least talk to him. My heart was hurting.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here it is! I've actually had up to chapter 33 written since early this morning [like, 1:00 AM] but I've been baby-sitting all day. The sooner I get reviews, the sooner I update! So, please review!!
