“Like I said before…I’m sorry you feel that way. But I’m not saying this for your approval. I’m just letting you know where I stand so you can relay it to the rest of the family. I don’t want any boundaries to be crossed.”
“Boundaries?” she replied, disbelief resting in her voice.
“Yes, boundaries. I have those now, and I’m not going to allow them to be crossed.”
“Sweetheart, let’s just talk about this for a second. I know you’re pretty upset about what happened at the barbecue, but don’t you think that this is a bit extreme?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Nova—”
“Goodbye, Aunt Patricia.” I removed my cell from my ear and quickly hit the end button.
I knew she didn’t understand where I was coming from, and more than likely, she never would. But finally, I was okay with that. If loving myself enough to choose me seemed selfish, then so be it.
Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths and tried to reset my mind. Today wasn’t about my aunt Patricia or anyone else in my family. It was about closing this chapter of my life with Jayson, and that was where my energy needed to be.
Finally, I stepped out of the car.
I took my time walking across the parking lot. Then…I stopped. I was inches away from my destination. It was like something came over me. And by something, I mean a dark cloud that made it almost impossible to keep walking. The shit was heavy, and I was convinced that it was a sign that I needed to turn right back around.
But I couldn’t.
I had to keep walking.
When I made it inside, Jayson was the first face I saw. He was sitting at a small round table near the back, scrolling through his cell phone. I was thankful that he didn’t see me right away. It gave me enough time to look much stronger than I felt. I hated that he had that effect on me after so long. He didn’t deserve that kind of power. No one did. But that was a thought for another day.
Clearing my throat, I eased my shoulders back, lifted my head high, and strolled across the room with all the confidence that I could muster. When his eyes finally landed on me, he hurried to his feet and walked around the table to pull out the chair that was across from him.
“Good afternoon, Nova. It’s good to see you.”
“Hello, Jayson.”
I would’ve been lying if I allowed the same sentiment to slip from my tongue. It definitely wasn’t good to see him. Did he look nice? Yes. But none of that mattered to me anymore.
He nodded in understanding and took a seat once he realized that I wasn’t going to give him any more than the few words that I had chosen. “So, how’s your day been?”
“It’s been fine.”
“How’s the family?”
Already over the small talk, I said, “Jayson, let’s not do this. Let’s just talk about whatever it is you’ve been trying to get me here to talk about, so I can go home.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Don’t act like this conversation isn’t as important to you as it is to me.”
“Honestly, it isn’t. I don’t want to be here.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Shaking my head, I said, “You can believe whatever you want. You usually do anyway.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you decide in your head how things should be and that’s it. You don’t care about anyone else’s thoughts and opinions. It’s all about you.”
