Jonathan looked at Liza, her words had painted a scenario in which he never wanted to live in, the moments which he wanted to erase from his memories. He thought about her words and before he could stop himself, his question was out from his mouth. "Will you be able to love me again?" and suddenly the noises of breathing that had filled the room fell silent. He looked at Liza, her eyes were wide after her rant she hadn't expected this question, no sane person would have asked this question, but Jonathan needed to know, he needed some hope, so he fumbled hoping to grasp it as he asked the question.
Liza who had stopped breathing all of sudden, regained her breath. This was one question she was dreading. Because she knew the answer and she knew that this answer would end whatever was going on between them. She had enjoyed Jonathan's company over the last few days as she had tried to play cupid for Alex and Alice, it was as if they were back to being friends they were before they fell in love.
"I can fall for you again Jonathan. It will be easy to fall for you again, to love you again. It will be like coming back to the town I had once left because you are familiar with me. I know everything about you, you are tested waters. I know where to step to avoid barbs, from where I will fall, from where I will be safe when I am with you. I had known you for so many years and there is always a tiny bit of spark of love that is waiting to be turned to a roaring fire. But that will be it, I will fall for you again, I will love you again and then that tiny spark which had turned to fire will consume me, it will burn me from inside. I won't be able to rest for even a second when you will be away from me. I will be always wondering if you have your arms around someone. It will eat me alive if you won't pick up my calls immediately. And maybe you will put up with all of that because you love me, but I will never be the same person. Everything I have achieved, everything I have stood for will go down the drain, the minute I will fall in love with you again. I can love you again but I can never trust you again. Wounds heal with time Jonathan, but they leave scars behind as a reminder, as a lesson to never commit the same mistake again and I am a human, I will always remember the time you betrayed me and the minute I will see you talking to some other woman, my mind will take me back to the time when I washed lipstick marks off from your shirts. So yes Jonathan maybe I will be able to love you again, but it will always come with a price that you are not worth paying for. "
Until the moment when Liza had occurred those words, he had thought that his love, his pain, and his guilt would be enough to make Liza fall for him again, now that he looked closely that it would never be enough. He hadn't just lost her love, he had also lost her trust and even though she may fall in love with him again, she would never be able to trust him again.
Liza spilled out all the anger, all qualms that she had been holding it. Initially, she hadn't planned on telling Jonathan everything, she had meant to answer the question to the point, however as more words flew out of her, she felt herself getting lighter, all the burden of subdued anger, betrayal and disdain took the form of words and left her. She had been focusing on the wall behind Jonathan while speaking, now that she finally looked at Jonathan, all she could see was a man slumped against the wall. His green eyes caught her brown ones and the horrified look in them was enough to tell Liza, that her words had got through him.
When they had started the game of 20 questions, Liza had thought that of it as a game by which Jonathan would make one of his many attempts at either irritating her or winning her over, but as the game had gotten serious, she realized that it had become a confession session of some kind. Both of them had said things which they wouldn't have otherwise.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Wooing The Ex-Wife