Sublime Forgiveness (Sublime Series Book 3)

by Charlene Zapata

  “Magnolia.”

  I sound pathetic and desperate even to my own ears. I’m standing in front of the girl I love, bearing my heart with just one word. I can see a tiny fragment of tenderness in her eyes as she contemplates what to do next. But the moment is shattered when surfer boy interrupts. Tommy gave me the low down on what this asshat looks like.

  “Maggie, is everything alright?”

  “Uh…what? Oh ummm…sure.”

  She turns toward him, looking for answers he clearly doesn’t have. He doesn’t even know who I am. Or maybe he has an inclining of my identity because the minute Maggie introduces him as her boyfriend, his face turns very stern. I can see her pleading with him to agree to play along. I know her better than anyone. What shocks me more than her words, are his actions. After shaking my hand, he puts his arm around her waist. A tremor rushes through my system as I try to process what I’m seeing and hearing. I know they aren’t together. I just talked to Tommy and my mom about her visit. Neither said anything about them being a couple. Before I have time to consider their relationship more, Maggie starts to lay into me. This, I was expecting.

  “What are you doing here? And how did you know where to find me?” She says everything in a very infuriated tone, making it clear just how displeased she is to see me. So I respond as casually as possible, trying not to stumble over my words.

  “I just enrolled. I’m a student here.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Can I come in to explain? Please?” But it isn’t Maggie that responds. This punk ass kid answers for her. And that pisses me off.

  “No. Sorry man, but I don’t think this is a good time.” Maggie can see my temper rising, so she speaks up before I do something I might regret.

  “He’s right. Now is not the time. It’s late. We were just headed to bed.” That was said just to hurt me. I can tell. I can’t say I blame her but damn, Maggie, low blow.

  “Maggie, please. Let me explain.”

  “I SAID NO!”

  She slams the door in my face. This is going to be harder than I ever imagined. I know this seems stalkerish, but I can’t help myself. I wait outside of her apartment, hidden away behind a few cars to see what happens. A few minutes later, I see Asher walking out the door. A small smile creeps on my face because I just proved she’s lying about him. I knew they weren’t together. But he’s an added complication. One I’m going to have to find a way around. Or through if that’s what it takes.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The next morning, I head to my first class. The wind seems even more fierce in the morning than it did last night. How anyone gets used to this is beyond me. I leave with plenty of time, arriving at the Ross School of Business about fifteen minutes early. To my utter disbelief and pure dumb luck, Asher is sitting in the corner of the classroom, clearly waiting on someone. He sees me the minute I walk through the door. I see him squirm in his seat slightly. Good. I make him nervous. I head over, taking the sit right next to him.

  “Hey. Umm…Vincent, right?”

  “Yeah.” I don’t bother asking his name again because it’s ingrained in my brain. And I sure as hell know he didn’t forget mine. It irritates me that he even asked. Jackass.

  “Did you know Maggie has this class also?”

  “How in the world would I know that?” This day might just be looking up.

  “Can I ask why you’re taking this particular class?”

  “I’m a business major. I think the better question is why is Maggie in this class? She’s a marketing major.”

  “We have to take it as part of our curriculum for our degree.”

  “So you’re in marketing too?”

  “Yes. Listen, I’m sure this is super hard for you. Coming to a new place, meeting new people, trying to win Maggie back but give her time. She’s extremely hurt by whatever happened between the two of you but I know her heart. She cares for you. Deeply.”

  Maybe this Asher kid isn’t such a bad guy after all. Maybe.

  “How do you know I’m trying to win her back?”

  “Because you’d be a fool not to.”

  For some crazy reason, this kid seems to be on my side. It’s almost like he’s rooting for me. I wonder what their relationship is really like. He must be a very good friend to pretend to be her boyfriend but then again maybe some small part of him wishes it was true. Maybe he just wants her to sort out her feelings for me so he can have her all to himself. It’s weird because I barely know the guy, but my gut is telling me none of that is true. He seems genuine in what he’s saying. Before I have time to contemplate his motives any further, Maggie walks in the door.

  She looks gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. She has on a pair of tight jeans with a cream colored sweater. Her hair is falling down her back perfectly and she has on just the right amount of make-up. I wonder if she always looks this way when she comes to class or if maybe some small part of her thought she would run into me. I scan her entire body before returning to her face to see a scowl. Clearly she isn’t pleased to see me.

  “Morning Maggie.” Asher and I say in unison which is kind of weird. Okay. It’s super weird.

  “Morning Asher.”

  She completely ignores me. Stubborn as ever. I try to peel my eyes away from her but I can’t. Not even for a single second. She always looked incredible to me, and I not sure if it’s just because I haven’t seen her in a year and a half, but she looks even more beautiful than I remember. Her hair is just slightly longer, her eyes as piercing as ever and that body. I have no clue what she’s been doing but it’s working. Her jeans hug her in all the right places and even though her sweater covers everything else, the color brings out the warmth of her eyes perfectly. She finally looks over at me, then leans behind Asher to say something.

  “Will you stop staring at me? It’s annoying the hell out of me.”

  “No.”

  I don’t give her any more of a response because I can tell I’m getting to her. And I love it. It means she still have some sort of feeling left for me. At the end of class, she tries her best to get the hell out of here before I can say anything else but she fails.

  “Maggie, can I please have a minute of your time? I know this isn’t the time or the place, but I was hoping we could meet later to talk. Please?”

  “No.” Her response is short but not sweet in the slightest. It makes me smile because she hasn’t changed. I missed the back and forth between us.

  “You are so damn stubborn.” I say with some lightheartedness in my tone. When she looks up at me, curiosity in her eyes, I can’t help but smile. I think I see a glimmer, a twitch in her cheek, like she wants to smile back but she doesn’t. She continues piling her stuff into her bag. I decide to test out Asher’s character by asking to borrow his notes.

  “Sure. No problem. Here is my dorm number. I’m in Stockwell. You can come by tonight.”

  “Small world. That’s where I got placed.”

  “Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” Maggie shouts out her frustration before storming out of the room. Asher quickly follows her out of the classroom trying to catch up. I’m left standing alone, smiling. Maggie Wilson is the most adorable creature on this planet. God, I’ve missed her.

  *****

  It’s been two weeks with zero success. Every time Maggie sees my face, she turns and practically runs the other direction. She knows this campus way better than me, so she’s been able to evade me pretty successfully. I’ve been to her apartment almost everyday but either no one answers or her roommate says she isn’t home. Which of course is a lie. I’ve seen her walk through the front door just minutes before I knock. The only time I see her is in business class. She’s stepping up her game with Asher and he’s playing along. He keeps putting his arm around her or holding her hand. I wish she knew how ridiculous it all looked to me. I don’t believe it for a second. At the end of class, Asher turns to me looking confused.

  “Hey, do you get this material? Because I
can’t seem to understand some of the chapters.”

  Because he isn’t the person I want to talk to, I answer him but look at Maggie the entire time.

  “Yeah, I actually had a course very similar in Ohio at the community college. Some of the material is even the same.”

  “Maybe we could get together some time to study. I could really use the help.”

  “Sure. What about you Maggie? You need any help? You remember what a great study partner I can be, don’t you?” If she doesn’t want to talk to me, I will just have to force her by irritating the hell out of her.

  “I’m not having any trouble with the material. So, no thanks.”

  “Well, then maybe you can help your boyfriend.” I say with a cocky attitude because I know damn well he isn’t her boyfriend. Asher tries to respond with something that would halfway make sense but fails miserably. So Maggie jumps in for the save.

  “I just don’t have the time right now. I have a full class load and besides, anytime we get together to study, we don’t really get much studying done. If you catch my drift, Slick.”

  Now I know I’ve succeeded in getting under her skin. She hasn’t called me that in so long, I almost forgot how much I loved it. I decide tonight is the night she’s going to hear me out no matter what her roommate says.

  After a long day of classes, I take the frigid walk to Maggie’s apartment. Of course her roommate says she isn’t home. I try to stay polite, I really do but I’ve had enough.

  “Just tell her I’m here and I’m not leaving until she talks to me.”

  “She isn’t here. This time it’s the truth.”

  “So you admit you were lying all the other times?”

  “Pretty much.” She says with a shrug. No amount of remorse for lying to my face. Repeatedly.

  “Fine. Whatever.”

  “Hey. If you know her as well as she says you do, you’ll figure it out. She’s had a long day. Hell, a long week. See you around, Vincent.”

  What in the hell is she talking about? It’s way too cold for her to be out running. Even she’s isn’t crazy enough for that. Then it hits me. I remember seeing something about an indoor swimming pool on campus in one of the brochures. I run up to the first person I see, asking frantically where the pool is located. They point me in the direction of Hill Street saying it’s just past the business building. At least I know how to get there.

  After jogging my way across campus, I walk into the warm building, surrounded by the smell of chlorine. I can hear the faint sound of someone in the water. I walk down the hallway and into the large arena that holds an Olympic size swimming pool. I scan the water until I see her small figure gracefully moving through the small ripples, completing lap and lap. I see a couple of chairs off to the side and I pull one over to the edge of the pool. I don’t want her to see me until she stops, so I don’t sit too close.

  I love watching her swim. Not only is she elegant in her movement but so very strong. She starts out fiercely, pushing herself but not long after that she finds her rhythm. I get why this gives her peace. Once she reaches whatever solace she was looking for, she stops. That’s when she notices me. We start a conversation, after she climbs out of the pool, that I’m convinced is going to end quickly. She shocks the hell out of me when she gives me an opportunity to do what I’ve wanted to do for weeks now. However, it doesn’t go well. She’s still so hurt by what I did. In her eyes, I broke her trust. I can see her side of things but I wish she could see mine. I was doing what I thought was best for her. I promise to earn her trust back, whatever it takes. She turns and walks away, leaving me clueless as to what to do next.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  After several weeks of following Maggie around like a loyal puppy dog, proving to her that I’m not going anywhere, I finally catch a break. Asher just invited me out with them for Friday night. Maggie isn’t pleased about it in the least, but she doesn’t object much to me coming. I think I’m starting to wear her down. Asher and I have actually gotten to know each over the last few weeks, mainly studying. He told me he was cool with me as long as we didn’t talk about Maggie. I get it. It must be really hard for him to be in this position.

  I can clearly tell that Maggie is faking it with Asher. I know her better than anyone else, even after being apart for so long. Whenever she doesn’t realize I’m watching her, the two of them have zero physical contact. No holding hands, no arm around her waist, nothing. Even their pet names for each other sound pathetic. I’m not buying it. That doesn’t mean that I’m completely immune to their relationship. They are clearly very good friends, the kind of friends Maggie and I used to be. She trusts him. Because of what I did to her, she doesn’t trust me. I think that hurts more than anything. More than seeing his hand in hers, more than the private conversations I catch the tail end of, more than the laughter they share. I’m doing everything I can think of to just be here, prove to her that I’m not going anywhere.

  The last two days have been spent studying and reading every text book I have in preparation for some upcoming tests. So far my classes haven’t been as challenging as I would have thought. Don’t get me wrong, I work my ass off for the grades I get, it’s just not as difficult as I thought it would be. I’m supposed to meet everyone at the bar, but luck is on my side tonight. Just as I’m walking out of the dorms, Asher comes barreling after me.

  “Hey, wait up!”

  “Hey, man.”

  “I’m headed over to the girl’s apartment. Want to walk with me?”

  “I thought they wanted us to meet them there?” Asher rolls his eyes and let’s out a sigh.

  “Of course they always say that. But I’m not about to let two young, hot looking girls walk around campus at night all alone.”

  The more I hang around Asher, the more I like him. He’s very protective of both girls. He really does seem like a genuine guy. I can see why Maggie would be friends with him. He’s easy to like.

  “Do you really think me showing up at Maggie’s apartment is the best idea? I mean, she wasn’t too thrilled that I was coming out tonight.”

  “She’ll get over it.” He says with a shrug.

  “I don’t know. She’s pretty damn stubborn.” Asher chuckles a little in response.

  “You have no idea. Or maybe you do. I know we aren’t supposed to talk about this but why did you let her go? I mean, she’s pretty damn amazing. I’ve never met anyone like her. And before you answer, please know that I do know a little about her past and what she went through with her mom.”

  “I had too. She was determined to stay in Milford and go to the community college, throwing her life away and for what? A guy like me? She deserved better. I thought what I did was for the best. I thought I was giving her the opportunity to fulfill her dreams. It was only after she had been gone for a couple of months that I realized what a huge mistake I’d made.”

  “So what did you think coming here to Michigan would accomplish? I guess my biggest question is why did you wait so long? I mean, you had to guess that she could have moved on by now.”

  “That was the worst part, the waiting. I wanted to prove to her that I could do this. It’s what she really wanted all along. For us to go off to college together. It just took longer than I anticipated. Honestly, a small part of me is happy for the life she’s made here. I think it’s made her stronger. All I can do is hope that her feelings for me haven’t changed even after all this time. I’m sorry. That was a lot of information. I shouldn’t be talking to you about all this. I know what an awkward position this puts you in.”

  Asher doesn’t say anything else. He seems lost in thought. Maybe he’s trying to figure out if I really am the bad guy Maggie has made me out to be. He might be a worthy ally if I can convince him that what I did, I did out of love.

  When we reach the apartment, Heather is the one that answers the door, rolling her eyes at the sight of us.

  “The guys are here.” She yells down the hall before turning back to us. “Y
ou two have got it bad. What’s she got anyway, magic lady bits between her legs?”

  This causes both of us to start laughing. Asher can’t seem to stop, but I do the minute I see Maggie. She’s wearing skin tight jeans with a dark green sweater that makes the green flecks in her eyes stand out. Her top hugs her in all the right places. I forget everyone else in the room and walk straight toward her. When I’m only inches from her perfect body, I lean over and whisper in her ear. This is the closest we’ve come to touching since I’ve been here.

  “You look absolutely beautiful, Magnolia. You take my breath away.” I watch her closely for any type of reaction. She closes her eyes and inhales deeply. A soft moan escapes her throat. I don’t even think she’s aware that she made a sound because when she opens her eyes, the annoyance is back in full swing.

  “Excuse me.”

  She walks over to Asher, giving him a hug but no kiss. Thank God for that. Up to this point they’ve been extremely G rated. I’m not prepared for her to take this any further. After getting such a desirable and unexpected reaction from her just from standing inches apart, I decide tonight could be the night to sway things in my favor. If she can remember how good we were together, if just a fraction of what we had can be felt, maybe she’ll start to let me back in. Maybe.

  We get to the bar and the ladies decide to get the drinks while we set up the pool table in the back. It’s been made pretty evident that Maggie isn’t the typical college student. She rarely goes out for a night of drinking, so it surprises me when I see her taking a shot at the bar with Heather. When she looks my direction after downing her drink, I give her my best panty dropping smile. Her response? She orders another shot.