Chapter 29

GRACE'S POV 

“My phone has been buzzing,” Susan said casually.

I raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“I haven’t checked.” She replied.

“That’s impressive.” I commended, softly applauding her. “Who knew?” 

“I know,” she said. “Growth.” A tiny smile appeared on her face. 

I smirked. “Or is it avoidance? That could be it, you know.”

“They could mean the same thing sometimes, you know,” she countered, throwing a faux glare my way.

I couldn’t argue with that, so I put my hands up in the air, surrendering.

She reached for her phone on the table, turning it over slowly like she was bracing herself for whatever she was about to see.

“Moment of truth,” she muttered, turning the screen on.

I watched as her eyes scanned the screen. Her expression didn’t change much, successfully keeping me in suspense.

“Daniel?” I guessed, waiting for her to say something.

“Of course,” she said flatly. “He left multiple missed calls, and messages as well.”

“Are you going to read them?” I didn't know what I'd do if I were in her position, considering the fact that we all knew how men are and we could guess what he would most likely say. 

She hesitated, then unlocked her phone. Her eyes moved quickly as she read.

I stayed quiet.

After a few seconds, she scoffed.

“What?” I asked, leaning a bit towards her.

“He’s apologizing, a lot.” she said, sounding like she found it incredulous.

I crossed my ankles in anticipation. “What exactly is he saying?”

She read aloud, her tone very dry.

“He said that he's so sorry, and that I should please let him explain. Really classic. That it’s not what it looked like. Oh, that’s very rich. That he didn’t mean for this to happen. They never mean for it to happen, do they?And then, my personal favorite. He said that I should please not ignore him. All verbatim, my thoughts too.”

I winced. “Yeah, that sounds about right, just like I imagined he would.”

She dropped the phone onto the couch. “I’m not responding,” she said, leaning into the furniture.

“Okay.” 

“I mean it,” she added.

“I believe you.” I assured her.

She crossed her arms. “Good, because he doesn't deserve to be replied to.”

A beat passed, before she added.

“Do you think I should block him?” she asked.

I considered that. The block button did exist for a reason, it also existed to counter that reason. But the point remained that she could block him.

“Do you want to?” I enquired.

She thought about it. “Yes, yes, I really want to.”

“Then do it.” This was basically my job, to comfort and then encourage her. So, I did just that. 

She picked up her phone again, stared at it for a moment, then tapped on the screen. 

“Done,” she said, exhaling. She sounded like a weight had been shifted off her chest, like she had closed a door. There was something final about it.

“Good,” I said softly, reaching over and rubbing her knee.

She nodded, leaning back.

“Okay,” she said after a moment. “I feel lighter.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she confirmed. “Like I just cut off something unnecessary. And also, no men for a very long time. I'll be like you, stay off spaces with human beings, stay away from potential love and stay cooped up in my apartment. And yours too, obviously.”

I smiled faintly. “That’s not usually how it works.”

She glanced at me. “Really? Then, how does it work? Tell me how you've made it work for so long.” 

I sighed. “Firstly, you have to have no interest in the outside world. That's very hard for you, because you just like to live and live life outside the confines of your home. Secondly, you need to find peace with yourself instead of waiting for a guy to give it to you. When you love yourself, love will find you. That's how it works.” 

She paused, looking at me for a long second. “There you are, throwing another piece of mighty advice. You sound like you've lived before and just appeared here to do it again, live.”

I scoffed, waving her off. “Pfft. That's not true, this is my very first entry to life, just like yours. There's no previous timeline or memory or anything. It's just great advice, that's all that it is.”

She laughed it off, throwing her head back. “I know it's just advice. And I totally get it. I'll start putting the guidelines to use. Who knows? I might get married before next year ends.”

I chucked. “It might not happen so quickly, you know. It could take years and years to finally happen. But that's the beauty of it, you get to love yourself and live for yourself for that period of time. You won't even remember you don't have a man.” 

“I'd like to still have a man in the process. What do you mean years and years of being alone? I don't like being alone.”

That made me pause and watch her. Unlike me, Susan didn't have a father figure growing up. I had my dad before he died, but she didn't even know what he looked like. Her mom had sworn to never mention anything about him, and it became a norm. Even though her mother wasn't absent, the absence of her father still left a couple of dents. That led to her seeking comfort in the companion of whatever man she came across.

This version of me was undoubtedly softer, I don't know why. Perhaps it was because I'd already seen it all, to an extent. I had the power to change and undo things. For example, if I did the same things I did in my previous timeline, I'd meet Michael at a coffee shop in a couple of days. There, my plan would begin to form, I just needed Susan to be there too.

Then, I'd be on my way to being free and definitely alive.