Rise by Dylan Allen

Author:Dylan Allen [Allen, Dylan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Dylan Allen
Published: 2017-02-13T00:00:00+00:00

September 19, 2014

The sounds of vendors setting up stalls serves as my music as I race through the streets of Islington on my morning run. I am running for my life. For my sanity. Since my fight with Cara yesterday, I haven’t been able to breathe. I can’t believe the way I lashed out at her.

I can’t believe how much it hurt to have the truth spoken so plainly. I have lived my life with a very single-minded purpose.

I don’t want to be my mother. I don’t want to ever depend on a man and have him leave me high and dry. I chose law as a profession because I wanted to proclaim to the world I was the furthest thing there was from a criminal.

I know these things. Why did it hurt so much to hear Cara say them? To know she knew them, too? I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know I owe my best friend an apology.

My run has given me at least that much clarity, and as I approach my block of flats, I start preparing what I’ll say in my head.

Stepping into the building, I stop short. Cara’s there. Sitting in one of the comfortable chairs dark green and white arm chairs in the reception area with a cup of coffee in one hand and a bag of what looks like pastries in the other.

Our eyes meet for a moment, neither of us says anything. I feel ashamed of what I said to her. Of how I flung her concern back in her face.

“Cara, I…,” I begin

“Ad, I’m so…,” she starts.

We both stop as our sentences overlap.

She smiles at me—her warm, familiar, loving smile—and my heart relaxes.

“You go ahead, Addie,” she says, softly.

I walk the ten steps that separate us. Standing almost toe to toe with the woman who I have called my best friend since I knew what the words meant, I say, “Cara, I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you the way I did. You were only being honest and I reacted badly. Please, forgive me,” I implore. Her forgiveness not something I take for granted. My contrition is on a level I know words can’t fully express.

She looks at me thoughtfully. Searching my face, as if, she will find the answer to one of life great mysteries in it. She leans down to put her cup of coffee on the side table next to her chair and grabs my right hand with hers.

“Addie, I am the one who is sorry. I was so cavalier in the way I spoke to you about something I know is difficult for you to talk about. Something we’ve never really discussed. I know I hurt you. I hate that I did. Can you forgive me?”

By the time she is done, tears are rolling down my face. This woman is so gracious and kind. I am relieved beyond measure, and wordlessly, I pull her into my arms and hug her in response.

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