Chapter 0178 I havenât seen him since the last time he was here. Gunner is here almost every day and Noah sometimes goes to their house, but Iâve hardly seen or interacted with Calvin. Itâs like for some unknown reason he was avoiding me.
âDo you want to come in?â I ask him when I see him shuffling from one foot to another looking rather undecided.
âYeah, if you donât mindâ
I move to the side to let him in. he looks unsure at first but he finally crosses the threshold and enters my house.
Leading him to the kitchen, I motion for him to sit down while I prepare the boys their snacks.
âTheard what happened to you, just wanted to make sure youâre okayâ he says after a while.
It wasnât news in this city. Someone got wind of it and by evening, Emma and I were all over the news. No one knew that I was a Howell, and I wanted it like that because I wasnât ready for the scrutiny that came with the name. They all still believe I was a Sharp and now everyone was speculating on why someone would want to kidnap both Sharp sisters.
âUh- thanksâ I respond. It all felt so weird and awkward.
âHowâs the face?â
âBetterâ I simply answer.
The swelling had gone down. All that remained was the ugly purpleâblackish color around my cheek.
We are quiet for a moment. Both of us not sure what to talk about. I even wished that he could leave. I hate awkward situations.
They usually make me feel sweaty and out of balance.
âIâm sorryâ his voice cuts through the tense air, making me turn to face him.
âFor what?â
âHow I have treated you. Itâs not fair when youâve been nothing but kind to me and my son. I just...â he leaves it at that, but he manages to shock me.
I stare at him not sure what to tell him. This time itâs not out of weirdness but out of shock. When I invited him, this was not what I was expecting.
You have to understand, I havenât had the best experience when it comes to us I swallow, realizing that I had it wrong all this time.
âItâs safe to assume that you were hurt by Gunners mother and not because she died, right?â
The emotions that play on his face tell it all. Whoever Gunnerâs mom is has done a number on him, and from the looks of it has continued to do it. Heâs a man that was drowning in pain. If he wasnât careful, it would consume him.
âYeah, but I donât want to talk about it. Itâs too F***ing painfulâ he whispers while trying to mask the pain.
that was chocking him..
I I feel for him. Maybe itâs because he looks so lonely and lost. Maybe itâs because I see myself in him.
Maybe itâs because I can relate to his pain. Whichever it is, I want to help him. I want to show him that there is a way to coâexist with the pain.
I canât promise itâll heal. After all, mine hasnât, but there is a way to live with it without it drowning you. Calvin just hasnât figured that out, and instead of living, he is merely surviving. Existing. Those are not ways to live, especially if you have a child.
âI get you Calvin, Fuck, do I understand you so I am going to accept your apology and I am going to give youâre an offer of friendshipâ I tell him sincerely. 1 He looks at me in doubt, but finally he nods his head. Though a bit reluctantly.
I donât know much about him now, but what I can tell is that he doesnât have a support system. Thatâs what he probably needs.
Someone or some people in his life that will bring him out of his shell. Ones whoâll show him life is to be lived.
Isnât that what happened with me? Letty and Ethan came into my life and basically showed me the light. Sure, what Ethan did was F***ed up, but I will always be grateful to him for showing me that there was more to life other than pain and heartache.
âFriends?â I ask pushing my hand forward for him to shake.
âFriendsâ he gives me a small smile. 1 Even as we shake hands, I canât help the uncomfortable feeling running amuck in my chest. I donât sense danger from him, but something tells me that Calvin was meant to move here. He has secrets which were bound to come out and when they did, they would shift everything.