There was an unfamiliar car in the driveway when you got home from school, but you paid it no mind. “Mom?” you called out, placing your bag in the corner. “In the living room!” she replied. You made your way there, stopping in the kitchen to get a snack. The smile you had as you greeted your mom quickly faded when you saw the person sitting next to her.
“Wh-what is she doing here?” you questioned, still reeling from the surprise of seeing her. Your mom smiled brightly, not sensing how uneasy you felt. “She just wants to talk to you and I think it’s a good idea. I’ll be in the backyard with your dad if you need me.” You watched her walk away, berating yourself for not begging her to stay.
It had been almost 4 months since you broke up with Demi, 3 of which she had spent in rehab. You were angry that she came to your house without calling, and you couldn’t think of a reason she had for wanting to talk. You made it very clear that you weren’t interested in a relationship with her, not after what she did.
“Can we go up to your room?” You refused, shaking your head. “Here’s fine.” The truth was that you wanted to be out in the open in case things got out of hands, which seemed to happen quite often when Demi was around. She stood up to walk over to you, but sat back down when you took two steps back.
Feeling guilty at how dejected she looked, you hesitated before taking a seat on the other sofa. “You never told anyone.” Her voice held no detectable emotion, so you weren’t sure what she was thinking. You decided to answer her as though she had posed it as a question. “You looked bad enough for hitting a backup dancer, I didn’t want to make your imagine even worse by letting people know what you punched your girlfriend for breaking up with you.”
You hadn’t meant to be so blunt, but it was the truth. You raised your hand up, brushing over the light scar that came from a busted lip after she had punched you in a moment of anger. “Thanks for not saying anything” she murmured, staring at the area your fingers were covering. You nodded, knowing she meant it. It would’ve been so easy for you to ruin her career if you had wanted to.
“I got the help that you asked me to get.” You looked down at her feet, biting your lip and wincing at the tenderness that never seemed to go away. Just because she got help didn’t mean that you believed she was better. Still, you had to give her some credit for having the strength that it took to admit that she needed help. “I know, and I’m so glad that you did.”
She smiled for the first time since you had gotten home, which brought an automatic smile to your face. She opened her mouth, but you stopped her, already knowing what she was about to ask. “I still feel something for you; I just don’t want to be in a relationship with you right now. I need to figure some things out and you don’t need any extra pressure. You know how stressful being with someone can be.”
Her eyes closed so she could think, and you gave her all the time she needed. “It’s even more stressful wanting someone within your reach but being unable to have them.” Her attitude right now was one of the many reasons you had broken up with her. She was always unfairly putting the blame on you for her problems. You were really hoping that she would stop, but she was just proving that she wasn’t ready for a relationship again. There was one way that she could change your mind.
“Come here and kiss me.” It wasn’t necessarily a demand, but you still fully expected her to do it. She didn’t even question you, getting up and sitting next to you. “I’m so sorry” she breathed out, ghosting her lips just below yours, deliberately pausing over the scar she had caused. “That wasn’t a kiss” you whispered. “But it’s what you really wanted” she responded at the same volume.
It was exactly what you had wanted. “Can we try again, please? I know we can get it right this time.” She sounded pretty convincing, and you couldn’t bring yourself to say no. “One more chance, that’s it.” Demi nodded eagerly and kissed you for real, taking care to not deepen it. The truth was that you would give her all the chances in the world, but you had a feeling that she wouldn’t waste this one.
