A year has passed. A year of heartbreak and healing for Livia. A year from Colby.
What happens when Corey shows up out of the blue and asks her something that'll pull her back into their lives? Will she accept, or put that life behind her and focus...
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~5~
I should say no. I've got plenty of reasons to not show up tonight. Enough reasons. I've learned to not just forgive and forget and I should be putting that to the test right now. By saying no. But if I really wanted to say no, to not show up, then why was I finding packing my bags so difficult. Why was an unknown force dragging me around and discouraging me from even changing into more comfortable clothes, into traveling clothes.
I was lost in my thoughts while slowly folding up shirts and putting them into my bag. Slowly enough for Lili to notice. Her gaze was trapped in my direction while she folded the sheets of our bed neatly on the edge to make it easier for the room keep's to take to clean. I tried to ignore it, but I had the sneaky suspicion she was going to come to ask me what was up. And if she did, what would I say?
"Oh, I'm going to stay in New York and break my ex-boyfriend out of Jail?"
It sounds horrible! Heck, just saying it like that in my head discourages me even more. Good! I need to be discouraged! Besides, Lili doesn't even know about Colby and the guys, and right now wouldn't be the best time to explain it. But I would have to tell her something even if I didn't have an answer for myself yet. I could lie, maybe, buy me some more time to decide.
But I shouldn't need more time to decide!
Say no!
"I think I'm going to stay in New York for a few more days."
Okay, that was- that was not a no.
My words came out in a quick rush, my heart rate speeding up with it. I was now looking at Lili, who despite the shocked expression stood in place calmly. She never was one for reacting immediately. We were so silent after I said what I said that you could only hear the buzzing of our TV and AC around us. Even my heartbeat was hidden beneath the buzzing. Shit, here we go.
"Well, okay. Okay, so- so so why? I mean, what made you come to a this-erm-sudden decision?" You can tell she's trying to grasp it because of the stuttering. Immediately I turned to her from my sitting position on the desk chair. Fingers intertwining and twisting with each other nervously.
"The friend I met up with today offered to catch up with him more. So, I thought, why not?" I suppose that's a good excuse. When I got back to the hotel after meeting with Corey Lili asked where I was out of concern, so I told her that I ran into an old friend- which wasn't a lie. But now it is a lie, so I guess I've officially lied to her about this. Terrific job Corey.
"Oh, okay. Well, that's nice I guess. You know, I can stay back with you if you'd like. I'm sure your dad wouldn't mind." She offered nicely. But I know I wouldn't be able to lie to her forever if she stayed so it's probably better if she went back to Indiana. Besides, no I don't think my dad would understand. Me, yes, because he likes for me to have more freedom now after learning that maybe having me kept under so many rules wasn't such a good idea. Though he and my mom would like for me to call them, just to make sure I was okay. You could say they've become more protective in a different kind of way than before.
