I sat on the floor and struggled to believe I hadn't let him in. He had known I was here, inches away. I'd heard him talking but had chosen not to answer. I needed to let him go, but his loss would have been easier to grieve had he died. Knowing he walked the earth at the same time I did, yet he had chosen not to be with me, wasn't something I could face.
I wasn't surprised when my phone rang again minutes later. He couldn't let me go-he wouldn't. As long as I breathed, he'd keep me connected to him, owning me. Regardless of how strong I was, Gray called the shots, abused my loyalty in favor of playing his version of the game of life. He wasn't pained by my absence unless he believed I'd moved on. He wanted me available on his timeline. He wanted me to remain celibate, to wait at home for him. No one could live like that. I didn't recognize the number on the phone, but there was only one person it could have been.
"Hello?"