“Are you crazy Caleb? We are still in January,”
He yelled.
“I know right? But it’s better this way, if my family do not see me they won’t do shit to Armani, I don’t want her getting dragged into this, I love her too much man,”
He said, Rafael felt his words.
“So you are just going to hide away?”
“Yup, like a coward,”
“You were the one telling me to man up only a few days ago and you are not doing the same?”
He accused, even though he knew they both didn’t have the same situation. Caleb had it worst, his parents aren’t making anything easy for him
“We have two different situations Rafael,”
“That’s why I said I can help, why are you being so stubborn and rebellious? You are thirty and not a kid,”
Rafael responded, he still didn’t know why Caleb was refusing to accept his help, not like he was saying not to pay back.
“I can’t do that Rafael, that would be riding off you,”
“Call me when you are ready moron,
“I will, once again, congratulations, at least one of us is winning,”
“Stop trying to be an emotional dude, but honestly, are you not going to tell me where you are? You know I can find out if I want to,”
Rafael said.
“Good luck trying to find out, I am planning on leaving here tomorrow,”
“Armani isn’t happy, I saw the sadness in her eyes, and I know you didn’t discuss it with her, we talked and you made her cry again, you should have talked to her,”
“I did man, I won’t do anything without telling her but we had different opinions and she wasn’t ready to see mine so we broke up again, I knew I shouldn’t have started anything with her again while knowing I wasn’t settled.”
“She was ready to do it together with you, why bail out now?”
“Because my parents won’t let her be, I just had to go away,”
“You are a bastard for that,”
“I know, I feel stupid and I don’t like making her cry but I can’t stand watching her go through hell in the hands of my family when her only offense was being in love with me, I can’t do that, at my age I should be settled but I have nothing to my name except my face,”
Caleb said, the guy couldn’t be serious for long even if his life depends on it, it was just the way it was.
“Caleb just come back home,”
“I can’t, I know, I appreciate your trying to help but I want to do this on my own, I will be back Rafael, I will, I promise,”
He said and ended the call abruptly, Rafael hadn’t expected that to be their parting words so he called the number again but it was switched off, he decided Caleb needed time, he was going through a lot and he hoped he could get out of it.
Rafael tried calling Caleb a few more times but it was switched off, he went into his kitchen and made himself dinner which he managed to eat through his sadness, he got one of the things he wanted so bad but still, he wasn’t happy, business-wise he was doing okay but other aspects of life, no, he wasn’t doing fine and he couldn’t deny it, even the Caleb and Armani’s situation made him sad too, it only Caleb would just swallow his pride and let him help out, he went to bed feeling bad for both himself and his friend.
He woke up the next morning with zero energy, he decided to spend the whole day at home, since the year newly started, there wasn’t much he had to do, at least not yet, he wished he could just go back to California and stay for two weeks at least when he is there, he doesn’t have time to think much, won’t have time to feel bad for himself, here in Florida, he felt everything and this house was slowly becoming like a prison of emotions, especially with the things that happened here that he still couldn’t fully recur, he still hasn’t spoken to Nicole, didn’t know how to ask her about their supposed night together, he wanted to ask her why she didn’t tell him even though he knew she might not have wanted to after Josie made her believe they were together, he should just call her and ask to meet, but where will he start from? She would think he pretended not to remember, maybe that’s why she didn’t call him, but he truly didn’t remember, if he had maybe, just maybe.
“You can still call her though, it’s not too late,”
The voice in his head advised.
“It is, she won’t want to have anything to do with me again, not after I ditched her,”
“So what? You are going to remain alone at such a young age?”
The voice asked and he couldn’t help but wonder.
Was this really how it is going to be now? Did he really want to continue living this way? He was much too young for this, all his life, he has been alone and the thought of remaining alone scared him, he shouldn’t be like this, he shouldn’t be, he deserves to be happy too, truly happy and the only time he had been truly happy was the time he had with Nicole, he wanted that back, wanted to be happy again, wanted a second chance at starting the family he dreams of again.
“I want her back,’
He whispered to himself.
“I want her back,”
He said it again this time louder than the first time, he said it a couple of times more, he wanted her back, wanted what they had before, and even more.
“That’s the spirit man,”
The voice in his head whispered and for the first time they were both on the same page.
He wanted his woman back and he was going to get her.