Chapter 2 – Dylan
I could tell that the Doc was getting to something that I didn’t want to talk about. I didn’t want to even think about what was going to happen in the future. Maya had talked a little bit about leaving her husband, and I knew that she wasn’t happy, but there was something holding her there. Camilla’s questions just made it come back to my mind. What would I do if she never left her husband? Could I really be okay sharing her?
“Dylan? Did I lose you?”
“No, I was just thinking.”
The Doc was quiet for a moment, and I knew that she was thinking about the same thing I was. I’d gotten myself into a mess, no one would argue that, but I was happier than I’d been in a long time. I wasn’t ready to give that up, no matter if it was the right thing to do or not. It felt like it was the right thing to do, whether or not it actually was. How could something that felt so right be wrong?
“Do you think about what it’s like for her husband?”
“No, not even in the slightest. He sleeps around on her, has for years from what Maya told me, and it seems only fair that she does the same.”
“Are you the only one?”
It was another question that I had in the back of my mind but hadn’t really answered. I didn’t want to think about it. While I wanted to think I was the only one, I knew that there was just as much of a chance that I wasn’t. I wanted to think that she was in love with me like I was with her. The other night in her arms seemed to cement it for me, but what if I was wrong? What if I was just thinking what I wanted to think, and instead of her seeing it the same way, maybe I was the fool in all of this?
Shaking my head, I told her that I didn’t want to talk about Maya anymore, and Camilla immediately went to something else. She was good at telling when I’d had enough, and this was one of those moments. What she was bringing up made my head hurt.
“We can talk about anything you want, Dylan. It’s your time.”
“I don’t know what there is to talk about besides Maya. She’s all that I think about and all that I dream about at night.”
She looked concerned, and I was sure that if I was the one hearing what I was saying from someone else, I would feel the same way. But Maya was different. This wasn’t going to be like other situations. She really did love me and I knew that one way or another, we were going to be together. I just had to convince her to leave the husband that she didn’t love anyway.
“It sounds like you’re obsessing.”
“No… I don’t know, maybe. I’m not sitting outside her house at night. I don’t even know who her husband is, but I think that if I did, I might confront him.”
“What would you say to him?”
I wasn’t sure about that, but I did know what I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him to let her go so that I could have her and we could be happy. It would most likely not go well, but that was what I saw happening in my head.
“I would tell him that I love Maya and I want to make her happy. They are both unhappy, and it just makes sense to let it go.”
“Marriage is usually more complicated than that.”
“I know. I’ve been there.”
“Do you feel the same for Maya as you did for your wife?”
She said it like it was wrong to think that way, but there were some differences. This time around I wasn’t going to let the good go without a fight. I’d just given up before when she had gotten sick. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. I was going to hold on to Maya until I was sure that she was going to be mine for good.
“No, it’s different.”
I didn’t know how it was different, but it was. I was getting uncomfortable even thinking about my wife, like I was somehow cheating on her. The whole conversation was working on my nerves, and I cut it short by about ten minutes.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, Dylan.”
“You didn’t. It’s just been a long day, and I’ve got a lot to do. I’ll see you next week.”
She smiled at me, but it held a bit of sadness. I didn’t want her to pity me. I wanted her to be happy for me. I wanted someone to be happy for me and Maya. There was no one else to tell, though, and I was underwhelmed with the way she reacted. She was supposed to be on my side.
Getting out of the office, I decided to walk down to get a coffee before getting in my car and going home. I couldn’t see Maya tonight because she had something to do with her husband. I tried not to think about it, but it was hard not to wonder how much they were still married. Jealousy was swift and almost overtaking of everything else. I didn’t even want to know. Soon she would leave him and I would have her all to myself.
The caffeine didn’t help much, but as I made my way back to Camilla’s office to get my car, I noticed a man that I recognized from somewhere. He had come into the restaurant, I was sure of it, but there was something else.
He looked up and said hello. The man’s name still escaped me.
“Nice day.”
I nodded that it was and watched him walk in. It hadn’t been long since I left, maybe ten minutes, and I had to figure that he was there to see Camilla too. Maybe that’s where I’d seen him. It didn’t matter. I got into my car, telling myself not to obsess about details. There was a lot to do, and even though I was going to be without Maya, I still had to get it all done. Camilla had given me a lot to think about. She always did, and that was why I still came to see her long after the pain of losing my wife was gone.
I turned my phone back on and saw that I had several messages. I was more than a little surprised to see that a couple of them were from Maya. I wanted to call her back, but I was afraid that she was with her husband. I wanted her to leave him, but I didn’t want to be the reason. Maya needed to leave her husband because she wanted to, not because I made her.
I almost jumped when the phone went off in my hands. I’d been staring at it so intently that I was genuinely spooked to feel the vibration. It was Maya.