Lead On (Complete)

~ Chapter 35 ~

Rose lifted her head to look at him, she could read the pain flashing in his eyes, but she couldn't fight it anymore. They needed to really talk about everything, get everything out in the air, before moving on, no matter what he felt. Sure, they were doing well, and of course, the love was there, but still, they needed a real talk, and it was long overdue. She felt the moment he pulled away and scooted to the edge of the bed, throwing his legs over the side.

"You want to do this now, after that?" She pulled the sheet over her and sat up as well.

"I think we need to, Jeff. It scares me how easily I've let you come back into my life, let you all over my feelings, and nothing has been discussed," she told him.

"We went over everything already, Rose! I told you what happened 10 years ago!"

"I get that, Jeff. You explained, but you haven't given me a chance to express my hurt, pain, or anger, have you? I'm supposed to just forgive you, let you waltz into my life as if 10 years is nothing? As if the history over the last 10 years is nothing?" She moved to him, placing her hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off. "See, you're fine sweeping that under the rug, but I can't, not anymore. You've always had my love, but you're taking my heart all over again and I'm supposed to trust that you won't break it?" Jeff glanced back at her, a brow lifted.

"Do you think I would make the same mistake twice? Of letting you go, twice?"

"Honestly Jeff, I don't know. I didn't think you would have done it the first time and you did! I thought we were strong and would have been able to overcome anything, but at the first real test, you tossed it aside."

"I did?" he asked as he stood up, turning around to glare at her. "I did? Excuse me, you were the one who filed, not me!"

"Yes, you're right, what's the point?"

"So who tossed us aside, Rose? Who threw everything in my face and said fuck it?" Rose sat up, even more, holding the sheet tighter.

"That's not fair. You walked out the door, without glancing back, and when I go after you, I get that slap of another female? What was I supposed to think?"

"You could have called!"

"I did, Jeff! But it's not like you ever picked up your phone." Jeff shook his head at that. He would have known if she called, it wasn't like he deleted her from the phone. Jeff ran his hands over his face before bending down to pick up his boxer briefs and then his jeans and slipped them on.

"If you can't trust me, Rose, then yeah, anything we do is pointless." Rose got off the bed, the sheet around her.

"Put yourself in my shoes, Jeff, would you have trust issues too? Look, I'm not saying that we can't..."

"No, don't go there. Yes, I get it, it was wrong! There were a lot of things that I fucked up 10 years ago, I'm not disputing that. But so did you! I tried reaching out. Numerous times, actually. I called, I wrote, I hounded you after I got the packet of papers. But when you returned nothing, I finally stopped and signed." Rose stopped in the path to him, her face clearly showing her confusion.

"No, you didn't."

"Yeah, I did. I left messages on the answering machine, I wrote you at least 10 times in those months. I was trying to express what was going on in my head, why I needed answers, why I needed you to wait for me, that I was coming back!" Rose slowly shook her head, eyeing Jeff.

"I don't believe that. I got nothing, no calls, no letters. How the hell was I know where you were when I heard nothing? You walked away from me long before I walked away from you!" Jeff yanked on his shirt, walked to the door, and yanked it open. But he paused for a moment and then turned around to look at her.