Page 30 of Until Forever
Peeking at my watch, I check the time. He’ll be here any minute. The realization of that strips the air from my lungs, and suddenly my mouth is dry. A deep exhale helps at settling me some, but it’s the first swallow of my drink that does the rest. Until the bell above the door dings and I look to see who’s entering.
His eyes meet mine, and I grow flustered then bury my face behind my mug. Jasper fights a smile while sliding out of the way of a woman who wants to exit. As he approaches me, a lump forms in my throat.
Get it together, Latoya,I encourage myself.
He slips into the booth and points to my coffee. “Peppermint Frappe?”
I smile. “You know it.”
“Some things never change.” He picks up the menu but doesn’t read it. Instead, he sets it back down and places one hand over the other.
He’s as nervous about this as I am. If flipping at the corners of the laminated menu and constant adjusting of his spine isn’t an indication, I don’t know what is.
“Thanks for coming,” he says, nodding at the server when she props a glass of water in front of him.
“Would you like tea or coffee? Anything to eat?” she asks, gripping her notepad.
It takes him a second to break his eyes away from me. “Yeah. Yeah.” He lifts the menu again, skimming over it. “You know what, let me get one of those and a slice of cheesecake.”
“Coming right up,” she says.
I chuckle. “You don’t even like Peppermint Frappuccino.”
He laughs, licks his lips, and settles in his seat with an arm on the back of the booth. “Eh. I’ve changed.”
It’s loaded—his statement. We’re talking about coffee without really talking about coffee.
“Um.” I pinch my brows together and wave in his direction.
He’s quiet. For far too long we sit here, both appearing as if we want to say something but neither having the slightest clue. This all feels like a lot too soon. This moment has always been a looming possibility, but after a while, you give up on things. You start to believe that situations are what they are, and for a very long time, this meeting never felt as if it would come.
Seeing him after all these years was challenging enough, but now having to sit across from him feels like too much. But he’s here now and he knows…we’ve got to start somewhere, right?
“You were right, we should talk,” I admit, breaking the silence.
“About a lot.”
I tip my head. “Loads,” I exaggerate and sip my drink. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“How about the son you never told me about?” He’s angry, but he’s trying really hard not to show it. “Don’t you think that was pretty important to know?”
“Ohhhh, believe me, I know how important my son is,” I respond while trying to wrap my head around the sudden shift. But then I’d be fooling myself to think otherwise.
“And I should be able to say that. That I know how important he is.”
His face is stern, and the tic in his jaw is evident. Right on cue, but not like I expected this to be a walk in the park. Of course this is going to be hard and emotional, for everyone involved.
“I’m not really sure what you’re expecting me to say.” I shrug.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Seven,” he blurts out that last part but lowers his voice. “Seven years, Latoya?”
“You think this was on purpose?”
No response.
“Jas, you left,” I grit. “How could I have told you anything? I had no way of contacting you. It’s not like you said goodbye—oh, wait, you did,” I say sarcastically. “I wish I could give you an explanation but I can’t.”
He rolls his eyes and glances away.
