The Beauty of Surrender by Eden Bradley

Author:Eden Bradley
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2009-02-07T16:00:00+00:00

SUNDAY MORNING Ava woke to the insistent ringing of the telephone. She sat up in bed, rubbed her eyes, peered half-blind with sleep at the caller ID. Marina.

She picked it up. “Hello?”

“Ava, there you are. I’m glad I reached you.”

“I’m here. Is everything okay?”

“You tell me,” Marina said.

“What do you mean?”

“Did you know Desmond was at Pinnacle last night?”

A sharp jab in her chest, burning, aching.

“He doesn’t need my permission to do whatever he wants,” she said quietly.

“Come on, Ava. I have some idea of what’s been going on between you two. I introduce you two and you practically disappear, for more than a month. The few times I’ve seen you together at Pinnacle you’re in your own little world, you and Desmond. Something important has been happening between you.”

“Yes.”

“So, why weren’t you with him last night?”

“Because he doesn’t want me to be.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Ava brushed her hair from her face, burying her fingers in it, pulling tight. “No. I don’t really believe it, either.”

“Ava, tell me what’s going on.”

“He just … he got up and left me the other morning. Everything was going great. Better than great. We were … we’d gotten so close. Confided in each other. And then he was just … gone.”

Marina was quiet a moment. Then, “You know, men can be idiots sometimes.”

“Yes!”

“Well, that explains his odd behavior. Although I should add that he wasn’t with anyone last night; he didn’t play any of the girls. He sat in a chair all night, brooding. He would barely even talk to me. So, tell me, what do you intend to do about it?”

“What can I do? He left, Marina. He made his decision.”

“He made a foolish decision.”

“Maybe. That doesn’t change anything.”

“I’ve never seen Desmond look at anyone the way he looks at you, Ava.”

“And?”

“And I don’t think you should just let him go. He’s been alone too long.”

“And you haven’t?”

Another long pause in which Ava had time to regret her words.

“We’re talking about you and Desmond,” Marina said quietly.

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry, Marina.”

“No. Don’t be. I have … my issues. Which makes me all the more certain that you can’t simply let this go.”

“I don’t want to. I want to be with him. God, Marina, if he only knew how much!”

Her throat was so damn tight she could barely get the words out.

“Tell him,” Marina said fiercely. “Tell him how you feel.”

“Do you really think it’ll help? He’s so shut down.”

“Do you love him, Ava?”

“Yes!”

The ache in her heart was a palpable thing, the pain in her chest threatening to choke her. She swallowed, hard.

“Isn’t that worth a try? Love is so precious.” Marina’s voice broke. “Too precious to waste.”

“Marina? Are you okay?”

“Maybe not. But you can be.”

Could she be? It didn’t feel like it. But she didn’t want to run anymore. She had to be brave sometime. Had to face what she feared most: rejection.

“I … I don’t know where to start, Marina. What do I say to him?”

“You’ll figure it out. I know you will.

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