“That’s what I thought!” Pulling from my grip, he went back to walking down the lot.
Hurriedly rushing back to his side, I began to feel angry. “How could I? After what you did? You lied to me, remember? You kept a secret from me. You knew my brother … Worst of all, you know who killed him, yet still you work for him!”
He stopped again. Biting his lip, he turned to face me. Lowering his head until he was only inches away from my face, he looked me straight in the eye. “Yes, and I’m sorry for that … I knew that it would be hard for you to accept it. Can you only imagine how difficult it is for me to work for him, knowing that he killed my father?”
I froze, tilting my head. I studied him, trying to rationalize what he just said. “Are you saying that Lou Sorrento murdered your father?” His eyes grew baffled as he realized he gave away something he wasn’t supposed too. Straightening, he shook his head, and turned walking back to his car. He picked up the pace at almost a jogging speed.
“Marcus!” I yelled after him, I had to run. Meeting up with him once again, I brought myself in front of him, placing my hands on his shoulders to stop him. I’d never been more confused in my life. If Lou killed Marcus’ father, why would he still be involved with him? He’s obviously trying not to let me in. “You’re shutting me out again, Marcus. This is why our relationship was the way it was. You kept things from me. That’s how someone loses trust in another by keeping secrets.”
“My secrets, Mia, are meant to be kept hidden because in the end, they could potentially harm you.” Shaking his head, he looked away from me. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe this should just be what it is … closure.” He brought his eyes back to me, and tears sprung to my eyes. This is it. This is finally the end.
“I will always love you, Mia. You’re the love of my life.” Cupping my face with both his hands, he brought his forehead to mine. “No minute will ever go by without a thought of you. If I can’t have you physically, you will always be a part of me spiritually in my dreams and memories.”
He was leaving me. “I love you Marcus.” I sobbed.
Bringing his lips against the side of my mouth, he mumbled, “I know, baby. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for showing me what true love is … I will always cherish you for that.”
Before I could protest, he was gone, leaving me alone in the middle of the parking lot with aching tears. He left me this time, and it felt like the earth swallowed me into its core: I was buried alive and suffocating.
I’m not sure how I made it to my car. I’m not sure how I found the keys and entered the vehicle, and I’m not sure how I made it all the way home. The entire ride was a huge haze. My entire life would never be the same. In fact my future looked like nothing but one huge block of blurriness.
Chapter Twenty-five
Three weeks ago when Marcus left me standing in the parking lot, I was sure my life was over and I wouldn’t know how to breathe or live again without him. Well, there I was thirty days later and I was still alive and still breathing. A day hadn’t gone by without my mind drifting off to him. I still cried sometimes, but I was a little grateful it wasn’t every night anymore. The first two weeks were hard, really hard. Jeremy had to fall asleep with me to make sure I didn’t suffocate with my face buried in the pillow as I sobbed till I drifted away.
He spent a lot of time with me, and I was grateful for that, though it made Stacy extremely jealous, and soon they broke up. I felt horrible. I told him to go win her back, that I was fine, but he assured me it was more than just me. He also said that if a girlfriend of his couldn’t accept his being there for a friend, then she was no girlfriend at all. I loved him for that also. He was just too good to me. Honestly if it weren’t for him, my mother, and Megan, I’m not sure I would’ve made it this long.
Megan is my cousin who moved here from Philadelphia. She was staying with my mom, and although her upbeat, bubbly personality was totally the opposite of mine, we hit it off right away. We’re similar in age, and I was helping her fill out college applications. She was able to find a job as a cocktail waitress at one of the local night clubs. Megan was beautiful: she was tall, slim, had light brown hair and the lightest brown eyes I’d ever seen. I wasn’t sure if they were hazel, but they turned to a small hint of any light color she wore. She came over to my place a lot, and I was sure it was because she had a thing for Jeremy. He, of course, didn’t mind her company as well.
The three of us became close, doing everything together. We watched late movies, went shopping, and went out to dinners. Though they kept my mind occupied a lot, there was always something missing. They would crack jokes, and I would watch them goof around. I was the third wheel, never chiming in on their jokes and never laughing at them either.
Megan said I needed to lighten up and get loose. If she only knew the person I was before Marcus and I broke it off, maybe she would understand. I never told her about Marcus. Well she knew that I had gotten my heart broken and I was trying to heal from the aftereffects. Jeremy and my mother made sure not to bring him up in any way, afraid that I would run into the other room crying. Seriously it was ridiculous.
This was the last weekend before school began, and I knew that I would be swamped once Monday came around. This was Jeremy’s last year, and he would soon graduate, pass the bar, and go off on his merry way to become a successful attorney. I knew he’d be a great one. He wanted to practice contract law. I thought it was boring, but he has an eye for viewing documents and catching things that most people would miss, and he’s at great negotiating.
I wasn’t sure what type of law I wanted to practice once I finished. Maybe I’d start off in general law, doing a little bit of everything until I found out what I really wanted to do. I was viewing my roster that came in the mail. Criminal Law II and Ethics were my courses that semester. Fun … not.
“I have a great idea!” Megan burst through the door. Her ponytail swung side-to-side as she made her way over to me by the kitchen island. Raising my eyebrow, I watched as she threw her purse on top of the counter. She had a habit of coming in without knocking. I guess it was my fault for not locking the door.
“What’s your great idea?” I asked, placing my roster down.
Jerking straight up, she pressed her hands together with the biggest oh-my-God-no-one-could-possibly-be-this-happy grin. Shaking my head, I allowed her to continue. “We are going to Club21 tonight!” She began to do a jumping up and down dance.