Chapter Thirty

Callum

Two Weeks Later

It had been two weeks since I'd last seen Pasha, and I felt the void. I missed her terribly. She'd only texted me that she needed some time to deal with a few things and that she was sorry. She wouldn't answer my calls. She wouldn't open the door when I showed up at her apartment. I'd gone over the day after game night, pleading with her to at least lay eyes on her. She never responded.

Defeated, I'd gone upstairs to Avyn's apartment to talk to her. She gave me the spill on what happened after they left. I understood why she chose to remove herself from the space. What I didn't understand was why she was adamant about doing this alone.

"Callum, you have to snap out of this," Bella said, turning off my television. "You've been moping around here for two weeks. I know you miss her—"

"I don't just miss her."

She placed her hands on her hips. "You love her, don't you?"

"Yes, I love her. I got to watch her grow into her own woman. I witnessed her confidence expand. I watched her go from being homeless and helpless to taking care of herself. How could I not fall in love with the growth in her?"

"I knew this was coming. I should have put money on it."

"Very funny, Bella."

"I'm just kidding. I need to see you smile. You haven't been roasting me like usual. Precious misses her favorite uncle. You haven't picked her up early as much, and she's noticed."

"I'm sorry, Bell. I'll get her tomorrow. I miss my baby."

"I think you should continue to let her know you're here, but give her some space. Sometimes, we want to deal with hurt alone to feel it fully. Feeling is healing, Callum. Deciding to heal is a personal journey. When you deep dive into your feelings, it can take you to dark places. You don't want to pull people down with you. You don't want anybody distracting you in doing the work you need to do."

"Are you an accountant or a psychologist?"

She giggled. "I took a few psych classes, and I read. My point is you have to give her time to do what she needs to do for herself. Sometimes, the most important part of healing has to be done alone. I know she cares for you. I might even go as far as saying she loves you. If fate can put you in each other's paths twice already, the third time has got to be the charm."

Sitting there, I wondered if I had pursued her too soon. Did I do too much too soon? Every part of me that I'd given her was genuine. Every word was true. Every hug, kiss, or lovemaking session was from my heart. I sighed, praying my sister was right. Maybe she needed something that only she could give herself. I was patient. I had faith that what we were building was solid enough to hold up while she got herself together.

I turned into the parking lot of the hotel where Pasha worked. While I was sure she wouldn't be here, I prayed that Avyn was. She told me Pasha had promised to let her know she was alive and well while she took the time to herself. I just wanted to know if she was okay. I hadn't seen Avyn since the Sunday after game night. She told me the same thing Bella had... give her some time.

I headed inside to the front desk.

"Hi, is Avyn here?" I asked the receptionist.

"Um,... sure. Give me a second."

She disappeared into the back and returned shortly with Avyn in tow.

"Callum? Hey, how are you?" She rounded the counter and gave me a warm hug.

"I've seen better days," I answered.

"You look like shit."

"Then I look like I feel. Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah." She led me into the same space where we first talked about Pasha. After closing the door, she motioned for me to sit down.

"You want to know about Pasha?"

"I do. Damn, this feels like déjà vu all over again."

"I know." She sighed. "I haven't laid eyes on her in two weeks. She took a personal leave of absence from here and the grocery store. She's not at her apartment, and I don't know where she is, but she assured me she's alive and well."

I shook my head. "This is crazy."

"She reached a breaking point, Callum. I honestly feel like this would be good for her. She's never had time to just work on healing alone. It's been circumstance after circumstance. Now, she's free of that bastard." A look of disgust presented on her face. "She went to confront Raymond."

"What? When?"

"Game night. Remember I told you she left the apartment, and we didn't know where she went?"

"Yeah, but how do you know she confronted him?"

"Because I ran into him at the gas station, and he all but cursed me out about it. He told me I needed to keep my bitch on a leash because next time, he was pressing charges. Malcolm had to put me into the car because I was about to tag his ass."

My brows furrowed. I was upset that she went over there and did God knows what. She was lucky she'd gotten away with throwing bricks through that man's windows. Going back there was pushing it.

"Did she say anything about it?" I asked.

Avyn shook her head. "She refused to talk about it. The only thing she responded with was she said what she needed to say, and she was done with him."

"Good."

"You know their divorce was finalized."

I ran my hand over my head. "I know. I've texted and called her, but she won't respond. I miss her, Avyn. I feel like my heart just upped and walked away from me."

She looked at me curiously. "You love her, don't you?"

I chuckled lightly. "Is it obvious?"

"Is fat meat greasy? I knew this was bound to happen. From the night I found her reservation in your name, I knew you'd be someone special to her. God broke the mold when he made you, Mr. Ellis.... Just don't tell Malcolm I said that."

I chuckled. "I won't."

She stood. "I promise, I'll try to get her to call you when I talk to her."

"Thank you, Avyn."

"It's nothing. You brought my bestie back to me. It's the least I can do."

She pulled me in for a hug before we exited the room and went our separate ways. Back in my car, I settled into the driver's seat and pulled out my phone. Going to Pasha's and my text thread, I hit the button to send her a voice message like I'd been doing for fourteen days now.

"Hey, baby.... It's day fourteen. I miss you, Pasha. My days and nights have all seemed to run together at this point.... I'm worried about you, baby. I know you told Avyn that you're okay, but I can't believe that until I lay eyes on you or at least hear your voice. Just please... Call me or come home."

I gripped the phone as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I love you, Pasha. That's not how I wanted to tell you, but I love and miss you. Come home."

I sent the message and placed my phone in the cupholder. Silently, I said a prayer. I hoped wherever she was, she was safe and taking care of herself.