Chapter 18

" Akiandra Salvatore are you listening to me?" Theresa says on the other line.

" Yes I am." I tell her.

I can't believe he actually invited me to eat with him tonight, that has only ever happened once before I knew he wanted to divorce me.

A lump forms in my throat at the word divorce. Gosh I'm an emotional wreck these days, what's wrong with me?

" You're not listening are you?" Theresa's voice breaks me out of my thoughts.

" I'm sorry Theresa, what were you saying?" I ask, now paying attention.

" Are you seriously moving back there?" She asks me.

" No, I'm just staying here for a few days until he's absolutely better."

" And by better you mean until he goes back to yelling and ignoring you, as if you aren't his wife." My chest clenches at her words.

" Theresa I just want him to feel better and right after, I'll be gone. " I try say.

" Akiandra you can't keep rushing over to him whenever anything concerns him, I'm not speaking against your marriage but you need to remember that soon it won't be and you need to start living a life without him in it, before he really isn't."

I take in her words and hear her point, she's right. I should start living a solo life so that when the divorce is finalised, it won't be as hard to move on.

" Akiandra?"

" I um- you're right. I just don't know how to move on when I'm still in this and my heart holds hope. Two years and a part of me is still waiting, I might try moving on but the heart is the hardest in doing so." I sigh, leaning my back against the wall, fingers playing with the telephone cord.

" I might not be married but I know. I was once in love and I learned the hard truth of moving on, while the heart stands firm in it's belief. I totally understand. I just don't want things to hurt more then they should when it's over." She trails off.

" I know." I close my eyes for a second, the pain in my chest not ceasing.

There's a pregnant silence before she speaks up again." Would you like me to bring some things over? " She asks, thankfully changing the subject.

" Um just please pack a few things for me, I'll send Joe with the key and he'll bring them back for me."

" Kea - "

" I just don't want things to take a bad turn if Keith finds out that more people know about us. He trusts me enough with this and I'm trusting you." I end off, not wanting to get into this.

" Okay. Just don't let him close enough to hurt you, come back immediately if he so much as cause a tear out of you. You hear?" She warns but I know this comes from a good place.

" Okay and please say hi to the guys for me, I know that they might be mad at me for ditching on them and rushing back."

" Oh they'll get over it. Well I should go now." She tells me and that's where we end off with our goodbyes.

*****

I take a breath before lightly knocking , waiting for him to answer.

"Come in," he says.

Entering his room , my eyes immediately find him, where he's not on his laptop, thankfully, but rather has a book in hand, my book.

" This is really nice." He says, coughing slightly, his eyes not moving from the book.

" Really? " I give him a strange look, wondering if the fever has affected his head or something.

" Yes, now stop looking at me like that. " He says, closing the book and placing it on the nightstand , right next to his untouched food I notice.

" Why haven't you eaten?" I ask, already walking over to place the tray on his lap.

" I was waiting for you." I swear I die and come back to life in a matter of seconds.

He said what now?

He did not just say what I think he said.

" Akiandra, are you okay?" I nod slowly before shaking my head slightly.

" Uh I should probably heat this up for you. I'll be back." I don't even wait for him to say anything, but leave with his food as my mind replays his words.

Waiting for me.

That's what jumps in my head, whilst waiting for the microwave.

Those three magical words, it should have been me saying those words not him. I'm usually the one waiting for him, waiting for him to come home, waiting for him to notice me, waiting for him to tell me that he lo - no, I won't go that far. The point is, I'm shocked yet my chest warms at his actions. Him waiting for me like how I'd done so many times, when he returned home late.

It's weird but nice. No, it's absolutely weird, something is up with him. I think the rain knocked some sense into him, that I'm here.

" Gosh I'm hopeless." I chuckle to myself, rising to my feet and moving around to fix everything up for the both of us. Soon I find myself returning to his room where he's busy on the phone.

" I'm fine, it's just a little cold." He says, coughing in between.

Standing near him where I place his food beside him on the nightstand, I catch a female's voice on the other line.

" Yeah I know." He says, leaning his head back, eyes closed for a second.

" I love you." The spoon drops, clinking against his plate, his head snaps in my direction while my heart drops to my feet.

" Sorry." I murmur, placing everything right before walking over to sit at my original spot, staring at the food, my stomach churns and twists.

I'm not so hungry anymore. I've pretty much lost my appetite. My eyes burn with threatening tears but I hold them back. I'm not going to cry.

It's her, she's invaded our space yet again. She seems to find a way to ruin things, I know I shouldn't speak bad about another person but I can't help how I feel, she's slowly taking everything from me. No, she already has, that's why he's divorcing me, leaving me. I love him with all of my being, yet he can't see it. Why can't he see it?

" Akiandra." I slowly look up at him. All I do is look at him, his handsome face and his pretty blue eyes, his mouth keeps on moving yet I can't hear a thing because only one question rings in mind.

Why can't he love me?

" Akiandra!"

" What?" I feel like I'm in a daze, nothing about him and I being in this room feels right.

I feel like a foreigner in his room, an outsider, an intruder in someone else's territory. Her territory.

He said he loved her, words I longed to hear yet never received, but she did. He loves her.

Her territory.

" Akiandra what is wrong with you?!" His voice rises, snapping me out of my thoughts.

" What's wrong with me is that I'm not hungry, I'm tired and I want to sleep." I tell him, rising to my feet, food in hand with intention of walking out.

" Where are you going?" He asks.

" I'm going to sleep, goodnight." I tell him as I walk past him.

I stop just at the door, glancing over my shoulder at him, where he's already looking at me." Oh and another thing, this is the last time you get to yell or shout at me. I'm not a robot, I'm human. Have a blessed night." I offer a small smile before walking out of there without another glance.