Chapter 8: Meeting Him Again (3)
Chapter 8: Meeting Him Again (3)
Why now? Was the only question running through Liza's mind. She had successfully avoided Jonathan
throughout the day but just when the day was about to end and she was finally going to be out of
reach, she ended being trapped in an elevator with Jonathan. How cliche, Liza thought to herself, the
ex-wife being trapped in an elevator with the an who broke her heart and is also her boss now. It was a
scene that she had read in countless manuscript and an event she wanted to avoid at all costs. She
wasn't running away from him, she just didn't have energy to deal with him right now. The elevator ride
that only took few minutes seemed to be taking hours. None of them broke the silence. "Liza..."
Jonathan started but Liza stopped him before he could continue. "Don't talk to me unless it is related to
office, don't even look at me unless you need me to do something related to work" she said in a calm
and cool voice. Jonathan couldn't help but flinch back as the coldness of Liza's voice sliced through
him. As if on cue the elevator doors opened and Liza stepped out leaving, Jonathan behind.
Jonathan stood inside the elevator for a few seconds before noticing that the elevator doors were
beginning to close. "Shit, Shit Shit "he nearly shouted as he hit the button to open the doors and quickly
stepped out to follow Liza. He saw Liza going towards a grey beetle. "Didn't you say that you had
forgiven me? Have you truly forgiven me Liza or do you still hate me for what I did to you?" Jonathan
shouted making Liza stop in her tracks. Liza had been controlling her anger all day. Even in the
elevator she had somehow managed to maintain her cool but now Jonathan had crossed a line. How
dare he bring that up now thought Liza as her temper flared up. She turned around to face Jonathan
and Jonathan once again had to catch himself before flinching back at the fury he had seen in her
eyes.
A few moments earlier Liza had been colder than the ice queen and he had not flinched back because
of the coldness but he had flinched back because he had realized the extent of damage he had done to
their relationship. He could handle an angry Liza but not a cold Liza who remained emotionless when it
came to him. But now on seeing Liza's anger he realized that he didn't want just any reaction from her,
his words could be damaging what was left of their relationship even more but before he could
apologize to her, Liza had marched up to him and had slapped right across his face. Jonathan touched
his throbbing cheek, still stunned at the pace at which everything had gone down. One moment she
was standing few meters away from him and the next she had slapped him across his cheek and was
breathing heavily not even an arm's length away from him. The funny thing was that despite his
throbbing cheek, all he wanted to do was to take Liza in his arms and hold her before she once again
became out of reach. She had avoided him all day, she asked her secretary to act as an messenger
between them, communicating with him only through her. It had driven Jonathan crazy but now that she
was cso close, he just wanted to hold her, even if her face was an angry red colour probably matching
the colour of his cheek.
Liza had no idea what had possessed her to hit him but in that moment she had lost her temper. She
hated that he had brought up the past now. She was already having a hard time dealing with the fact
that she had to endure his presence every day and when Jonathan brought up their past she snapped.
Liza continued to breathe heavily in and out trying to control her anger while Jonathan simply stood in
front of her holding his throbbing cheek and disbelief clear on his face. The white lights of the parking
lot flickered around them as if sensing the tension in the air. After a few tense moments Liza spoke
"Don't even dare to talk to me about it. You have no idea what you did to me. You destroyed my trust.
You were the first man I had completely trusted and give myself too and what did you do? You cheated
on me and the worst part is that even after you cheated on me, you had the nerve to say that you still
loved me. Maybe what you did was a mistake and maybe what you did was a result of weak
foundations of our relationship but it still doesn't change's the fact that you cheated and when you saw
me hugging someone or saw someone kiss my forehead you didn't stop to think that maybe it was a
brotherly gesture, that maybe he is an old friend of Liza's, no you just jumped at the idea of me being
the cheater, of somehow blaming our failed relationship on me. I- " Liza broke off , her eyes glazing
over with tears.
She quickly wiped them with her sleeve and continued "I stayed with you even when I knew that you
were cheating, thinking that you will come back to me but you, you didn't stop for a moment before
throwing divorce papers on my face and kicking me out of the house. You say that I have trust issues
that I would have freaked out if you had told me about your kiss with Stacey but it isn't me who has
problems, it is you. And even though I have forgiven you for being a cheating ass and or destroying the
one good thing in our life, I will never accept you back. Not even as a friend." She said. Liza's face was
flushed with anger, her voice rising with every word she said, her fists clenching harder and with every
word she spoke Jonathan broke more and more.
Jonathan crashed Liza to him, as he mumbled "I am sorry, I am so sorry" in her hair. All the memories
came rushing back to him. They weren't the memories that he wanted to remember but nonetheless
they had etched themselves in his mind. Every beautiful memory he had with Liza was now
permanently tainted by his betrayal. Liza was rigid in his arms, she was holding her breath not moving
at all. She was startled at his sudden reaction. She let him hold her for a few moments as he mumbled
something in her hair and then pushed back, breaking herself free from his arms. Liza's fury receded
and her frosty demeanor took over. Once again before Jonathan could say anything she said in an
unfeeling voice "I hope you understand that I don't want to talk about anything that is related to our
past. I don't want to be related to you in any way, please keep to yourself. You have caused me enough
pain to last for a life time, don't interfere with my life again."
"How can I not want anything to do with you Liza? I loved you then and I love you now and I will be
damned before I stop loving you. I will show you I am different. I will find a way to earn your trust back
and I will find a way to make a place for me in your heart" Jonathan said steadily being careful of not
showing any reaction to her detached formal voice. "You won't succeed Jonathan because my life is
already full of people who love me. There is no place for you I have made a happy and warm life for
myself and I won't let you destroy this. I have worked hard to pick myself up and Jonathan this time my
walls are stronger than they were back then. You won't be able to break them, in fact no one can. I was
naïve, I believed in you but not this time around so don't waste your time on me and find someone
else." Liza said before turning around and getting into her car.
"I will break down your walls Liza and I will become the reason behind your smile again. I can't find
someone else because you are it for me. I won't let you go, I will fight for you" Jonathan said marching
over to Liza's car and stopping her from closing the door. "There is nothing left to fight for Jonathan"
was all Liza said her voice slightly cracking before she closed the door and drove off.
The day hadn't gone as Jonathan had planned. He had prepared himself for Liza's reactions and her
harsh words but witnessing them and hearing them was an entirely different thing. He had cause
greater damage than he thought he had and somehow he knew that what he was feeling was only a
scratch of what he had put Liza through but now it was time to fix everything back together, fix Liza
back together. He could see that she had changed and was not the same woman who had left him, she
had grown stronger and he was proud of how she held herself, how she stood her ground. Liza built
stronger walls around he, she had put distances greater than the sea in between them but he would
somehow cross them, he would prove it to Liza he was worthy of her again.