A Heart Healed

Chapter 12

Naomi

“Hi, Marc.”

Naomi tried her hardest not to let her voice choke on his name, the sound coming out as more of a winded gasp. Was it possible to tell she was crying from one tone? She hoped to all heavens this wasn’t the case.

“Naomi,” was all he said through the speaker and yet the tone made her want to cry all the more. It was so raw and reminded her of so many different nights in which they had woken next to one another, his warmth enveloping her in a protective way that made her think that nothing in the world could ever go wrong. Yet, something did.

And it was her fault.

She had to say something else. They couldn’t sit like this, just breathing over the phone. Surely between the two of them, one person could string together a sentence to ask the question that they both wanted to ask and yet were too afraid to. Their silence was always like this. Filled with so many things that they wanted to say, so many things they wanted to do, but neither of them wanted to push through the bubble and express it.

One of them had to do it, and it looked like she would have to do it this time.

She swallowed down her courage. “Would you be willing to meet me somewhere? We need to talk.” There, she had done it. She had made the first step and now it was up to him. Would he be willing to talk this through? Even with the things she had learned from Ezra, she still didn’t know if he was truly changed. In some ways, Marc was still a mystery to her.

“Where?”

So, he’d be willing to listen to what she had to say at least. Thank goodness. Naomi gave him directions to a café between her house and the hospital that they had passed once upon a time with an agreement to meet him there in fifteen minutes. She knew his appreciation for new experiences so hopefully, this would be a new beginning for the both of them.

In some ways, she had already had her own new beginning. She had gained the courage to ask for help with one of her main problems. Perhaps there was a chance that she could the same with the others. First of all, she had to apologize to Marc for the way she had tried to end things. There were probably more things to say, but she could at least start with that.

She climbed off her bed and looked down at the overstretched t-shirt and shorts that she had been wearing. Maybe a quick five-minute shower would be a good idea.

**************

Fifteen minutes later, Naomi was standing outside in front of the café that she had told Marc to meet her in. She had virtually no time to dress fancy, sticking to another one of Olivia’s dresses that her best friend had left in her laundry hamper during one of the nights she stayed over. It was a white sundress with large floral outlines splashed across the skirt that somehow worked on her thin frame instead of looking like something she’d expect her mother to wear.

The only drawback was the lack of sleeves as the October chill was finally starting to creep over her city, causing some cool breezes that often made her skirt move as she stood there.

She looked around the area, but there was no sign of one of Marc’s familiar town cars pulling up. Maybe she should wait inside for him? She walked into the restaurant, and to her surprise, she saw Marc already sitting inside with a coffee mug in his hands. When did he get here?

Naomi approached his table, her brows raised at him before he looked up at her with a pair of tired yet happy eyes. “When did you get here?” she asked him.

“About five minutes ago. I used the other entrance. To be honest, I was wondering when you’d realize it.”

She gave a hollow laugh before she pulled back the other chair at the table back and took a seat. One of the waiters approached her and she ordered a filter coffee, her eyes never leaving the man in front of her.

“What did you want to talk about?” he asked her when the waiter finally left.

Naomi clasped her hands together in her lap, praying for the courage to say everything that he had to. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry for the way things ended. You didn’t deserve any of the things I had said, and I wish I didn’t say any of it to you. My mind wasn’t in the right space and I channeled my emotions in a way I shouldn’t have. For everything, I truly am sorry.”

Marc stared down at his coffee for a little while before he let out a sigh. “Naomi, I don’t think I have it in me to hate you. In fact, I feel the exact opposite when it comes to you. If there were some things that I had subconsciously done to make you feel like I ever did, I didn’t know.” He looked up at her, the same hurt that was in those gray eyes on that day were still present. “I do think that the both of us need a lot of work to get ourselves working on anything but our careers.”

Naomi had to agree. Even now, it had taken her all of her nerve just to invite him out here just so they could listen to one another.

“Naomi, if you’re still willing to give us a try, we can do it. All I ask is that you never push me away again. If someone or something is bothering you, tell me and we can try and work through it. Even if I’m the problem.”

Her voice was caught in her throat. All she could do was nod as her eyes started to water with fresh tears. Naomi reached out and placed a hand over his, curling her hand over his with a watery smile.

“I’ll try, and the same goes for you too, of course.”

Marc smiled at her, leaning forward and wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of his hand. “Listen, would you like to come with me somewhere? I think it’s my turn to show you something you’ve never seen before.”

She nodded, leaving the money for the coffee on the table as she allowed Marc to lead her out of the other side of the café where she had spotted something a hell of a lot fancier than his usual ride. “Wait, is that it?” she asked with a laugh.

“Of course not. I told you I’d save it for another date, but this wasn’t what I was going to show you. Climb in.”

******

Naomi was shell-shocked to say the least when they had pulled into the underground parking garage of what had to be the fanciest piece of architecture she had ever seen in this city. Not even his building looked this shiny and new when she had seen it for the first time.

Was this… Was this where Marc really lived?

She had never been to his place before, so Naomi was never sure what kind of place to expect. It was likely every bit of expensive as those penthouse apartments that every young person had dreamed about back when they were living on cups of instant noodles. Even she had had fantasies of a place with a view overlooking the ocean instead of the city, but that was a dream she had let go off after her first paycheck as an intern.