Silence
Page 18
“You know I love you,” I said and he slung his arm around me, planting a kiss on my cheek.
“Yes. I do, but it’s never been the way I wanted you to love me.” He squeezed me once and stood, offering me his hand.
“I’m sorry,” I said looking up at him.
“Don’t be. This is a far more...” His gaze traveled over the landscape before he grasped the right word. “Stable, than we would ever have had as girlfriend and boyfriend.” Rob helped me to my feet, wiping the grass off my backside. I did the same for him and we headed back to the car.
“Stable?” I asked and turned the ignition sending him a sideways smile.
He grinned and shrugged. “You’re about the only stable thing in my life, so yeah. Stable, constant, reliable.”
“It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who feels that way.” I couldn’t help feeling a measure of relief. I loved Rob, but he was right, I never loved him the way he truly deserved to be loved. We would be a disaster together, and I’m glad he valued the friendship as much as I did.
“So, friends,” I said and put the car in gear.
“Friends,” he agreed and settled back in the seat with a grin.
Silence Chapter 31
Graduation day.
I stared out at the crowd as the valedictorian gave her speech. My gaze landed on my family and I sent a nod of thanks. My smile didn’t appear until I met Brooke’s and Rob’s gazes in the seats next to my parents.
Brooke’s grin matched mine. She would happily flit through her senior year, socializing and serial dating. I had no worries that she would be fine. She beamed with pride for me and I was humbled that she was my friend, that she stood by me, and it wasn’t just because I was her ride to school.
My gaze moved to Rob’s. His smile was present, but there was sadness in his eyes that caught in my throat. For a moment, I wondered what would have happened if I had let him through my defenses on that drunken day. Would he be here now?
I already knew the answer, and I thanked God for never really aligning the stars for us. I thanked God for giving me a lasting friendship, instead, one I was sure I would cherish for years to come.
I glanced at my classmates and my gaze fell on Mia and Tina. We exchanged nods. A silent “we made it”, worthy of a shared smile. I honestly didn’t think I’d make it to this point, and I certainly didn’t think I’d have an ounce of sanity left.
I scanned the faculty and found Mr. Henry staring at me with the same pride-filled gaze my parents held. He sent a smile and a thumbs up in my direction and I pressed my lips together, forcing a smile while blinking back tears.
He’s the one who brought trust back into my vocabulary.
He saved me from the silence.
It wasn’t easy, but he made me take a hard look at myself, my motivations, my relationships. He helped rebuild my self-respect. He gave me the strength to tackle the silence and work through my fears. He gave me the guts to face Eric and tell him what he’d done to me.
Mr. Henry gave me the courage to speak out and embrace life instead of just going through the motions to survive.
Someday, I’d have to thank him for showing me that not all men were dicks.
I received my diploma and we all moved our tassels from one side of our caps to the other. As soon as they announced the graduating class of 1983, I took my cap and flung it with the rest of the class. Yellow and blue filled the sky and I grinned.
I had a bright future waiting for me out there, and it was about time I blew off the storm clouds and started chasing rainbows.
The End
Thank you for reading SILENCE. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review.
About J.E. Taylor
J.E. Taylor is a USA Today bestselling author, a publisher, an editor, a manuscript formatter, a mother, a wife, a business analyst, and a Supernatural fangirl, not necessarily in that order. She first sat down to seriously write in February of 2007 after her daughter asked:
“Mom, if you could do anything, what would you do?”
From that moment on, she hasn’t looked back.
In addition to being co-owner of Novel Concept Publishing, Ms. Taylor also moonlights as a Senior Editor of Allegory E-zine, an online venue for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.
She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children and during the summer months enjoys her weekends on the shore in southern Maine.
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You might also enjoy other books from J.E. Taylor’s backlist:
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