"I am not" Joanna's meek reply did nothing in calming Audrey down.
"You rejected him after such an elaborate proposal?" Audrey asked with both her hands placed on her waist.
"So what were you expecting from him after rejection?... Were you expecting him to spread his hands and embrace you for a job well done or did you expect him to act as though nothing happened?" Audrey said not sounding sympathetic anymore.
All this while she had thought that there was a possibility that her best friend was wronged but hearing it from the horse's mouth that she was the one at fault she dared not indulge her anymore.
"He didn't look hurt at all after I rejected him. Besides this is not the first or second time I have rejected his proposal. He is way too thick-skinned to get hurt by my rejection," Joanna said. She stood up on the rectangular stone so she won't have to strain her neck to look at Audrey.
"This is not your first or second time rejecting his proposal?" Audrey asked with disbelief on her face.
She couldn't believe that so much happened without her knowledge. "Also why does it feel like you are proud about always rejecting him?" Audrey demanded.
Joanna kept quiet when she didn't know what to say.
Was she proud of always rejecting him or was she so used to it that she thinks such a thing isn't a big deal?
Maybe she was never careful with her words while rejecting him because he never made it obvious that he was hurting.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"I thought all you did was always deny your feelings for him but I can't believe that you have been taking his feelings for granted…,"
"Why are you scolding me? Didn't you say we were gonna find a solution to it?" Joanna asked unhappily.
"I am scolding you because you deserve it, Anna. How could you do such a thing to him repeatedly and still expect him to act as though nothing happened?... Do you think he is a piece of wood without feelings or what?" Audrey asked.
Despite that Joanna was her friend she didn't hold back with her scoldings. She condemned her actions to let her know that she wasn't in support of what she did.
"Why are you making it sound as if I am the bad guy here Drey?" Joanna asked, feeling wronged.
"You are, Anna. If you never had feelings for him in the past you should have maintained your stance instead of leading him on after each rejection. It was a cruel thing to do," Audrey said as she jumped down to the levelled grey floor.
Audrey offered Joanna a hand, noticing that she wanted to come down also.
"Also, if you are not in love with him like you always say then can you answer a question from me?" Audrey asked meekly as she concentrated her attention on Joanna.
"Why are you acting this way? You acted like someone whose lover has stolen away from her, why?" Audrey asked sternly.
Joanna started fidgeting after Audrey's question. She bit her nails and in the next minute, she started fiddling with her chained handbag.
"Let me ask you another question, are you in love with him?" Audrey demanded, her gaze not moving away from the nervous Joanna's face.
"I…I…," Joanna stammered, not able to give any definite answer.
"See, you are not even sure of your feelings for him neither can you give the reason for being jealous that he is treating another woman better than you…," Audrey trailed. She lifted her hands and held Joanna's shoulders.
She made sure her friend's wavering eyeballs were locked in hers before she began talking.
"Anna, you need to be certain of your feelings for him and what you are fighting for. It will be very unfair to him if you act rashly and chase away another woman from him when you don't even love him," Audrey said.
"Search your heart," Audrey pokes Joanna's chest with her index finger.
"Ask yourself whether you really love him. You need to ascertain what you feel for him before you do anything and while doing this I will ask that you be fast about it if you don't want to lose him to another?".
Audrey let go of Joanna's shoulders after making sure that her words had sunk into the deepest part of her heart.
"If you don't lose what you have you will never know its worth. Let that not be your case, Anna, because I can assure you that you will regret your decision forever," Audrey advised like a true friend would have done.
"As you take out time to sort your feelings I will suggest you don't assume you have a whole year to think about it because the longer you take, the faster he is slowly slipping away from you," Audrey said, lifting her hand and tapped Joanna's right shoulder.
"I will give you privacy so take your time ok and make sure to tell me if you have found the answers, so I can know whether or not to fight alongside you," Audrey squeezed her shoulder with care.
She forced on a smile before she turned and strolled out of the building.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIn a daze, Joanna stood on the rooftop alone. Her mind was in turmoil as Audrey's question began replaying on her mind.
In the past, all she believed was that he would be around her forever.
But if one was to ask her what gave her the confidence she wouldn't be able to answer that question.
Where and how did her confidence come about?
Also, why was she so mad the moment she set eyes on Amelia on the field earlier?
Why did her heart ache so much when she saw that he didn't reject her advances?
Joanna's mind was flooded with many questions as she paced about the rooftop.
She had 1001 questions on her mind but unfortunately, she didn't have answers to many of them.
Standing there battling with her thoughts Joanna lost track of time.
She was stunned when she lowered her gaze and looked at her wristwatch.
"F*ck! It's almost time for work," Joanna exclaimed as she started hurrying away.
"Let me leave now or else I will be late. I will try to talk things out with him when he comes to the cafe to accompany me like he always did. I believe everything will be alright afterwards," Joanna tried to assure herself even though deep down she was having doubts.
....
HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!
HAPPY SEPTEMBER ????????????