The phone rang and rang in the other room. Angie remained seated on the leather couch in her living room listening to it chime over and over. The ring was murmured as she only had the one phone in the whole house, and it was in the kitchen. It was fairly easy to ignore, but she couldn’t help but listen to it. She wouldn’t even turn on the TV.
Angie knew who was calling her. She knew why he was calling her. She wasn’t angry with him, no. That’s not why she wasn’t picking up the phone. However she wasn’t sure if she could face him.
The phone stopped, but only for a brief moment. Then it began to ring again.
Angie sighed folding her arms across her chest. This was the third time was calling the house. Couldn’t he just leave a message and leave her be? No, of course not. He knew she was home. He knew she was screening his calls. After he called her cell phone a few times and she shut it off, he probably figured it out that she was ignoring him.
“If someone was ignoring me, I could give them some space.” Angie huffed to herself.
Then the doorbell rang.
Angie froze.
She shifted her gaze to the front door, which happened to be on the other side of the living room. She stood up slowly from the couch and took a step towards the door. The phone was still ringing in the background.
Angie closed one eye and looked through the peep hole she had installed in her front door. Sure enough, there he was. Standing on her front porch with his cell phone pressed up against his ear.
Angie sighed. Now she regretted not picking up the phone. At least over the phone she didn’t have to see him. Now she was going to have to talk to him face to face.
She opened the door with a gloom expression. Ian let out a sigh of relief upon seeing her. He snapped his flip phone shut and shoved it into his pocket.
“It’s about time I got a hold of you. Can I come in?” he asked wearily.
Angie shrugged stepping to the side. Ian walked over the threshold and stood in the middle of the living room. He put his hands on his hips looking her up and down.
“You do know that what happened isn’t your fault, right?” he softened his gaze looking concerned, when Angie assumed he would have been angry.
Angie stared at him in confusion not saying a word. She was trying to figure out why he wasn’t angry. She was wondering why he thought nothing was her fault.
“My mother isn’t exactly the easiest person to get along with. I don’t think she liked you from the moment I told her that I was seeing someone.” Ian hesitated to continue scratching the back of his neck. “Sorry, that came out wrong…”
Angie groaned throwing herself onto the couch. She laid on her stomach hugging a throw pillow tightly by her stomach. She felt like she was going to throw up.
Ian knelt down beside her on the floor. “Listen, my mother has always tried to sabotage my relationships. She wants to set me up with her boss’s daughter. She’ll be taking over the company and if I marry her, then I’ll ultimately run the company as well. I’ll be rich. My mother can be rich.”
Angie lifted her head looking exhausted. “Do you realize how cliché all of this sounds, right?”
Ian sighed bowing his head. “I know, but it’s the truth. Just ask any of my brothers.”
“I’ve never met any of your brothers. You said they all moved out of state.”
“And now you know why.”
Angie couldn’t help but crack a smile, which in turn caused Ian to smile a little. He sat down beside her moving her legs over so he could have some room to sit beside her on the couch. He rubbed her back.
“If this is too much for you, I completely understand. Just know that I love you and if we break up, I’d be heartbroken and we’d be letting my mother win.” Ian explained.
Angie sat up eyeing her boyfriend. They hadn’t said the “L” word to each other yet. She loved him too. She didn’t want to give him up because she was too afraid of his mother, of all people.
“When do we have to see your mother next?” she now understood why he barely visited her.
“Not until Christmas.” Ian replied.
Angie glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall. It was only May. That should have been plenty of time to prepare. She smiled at Ian.
“I love you, too.”
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