T W O D A Y S L A T E R . . .
When Jordan said he was on the hunt to find a mother figure for Kota and Kai, Zayley didn't take it as a literal statement.
But here she was, taking on the motherly role as she spent her Friday afternoon in bed with the three cats surrounding her.
Jordan and the team were gone for an away game, so he asked Zayley if she could catsit since his cats adored her. Of course, she couldn't say no since she loved them just as much.
"Never in a million years did I imagine being this type of cat person." She spoke to no one in particular as she stared down at her fur babies on her lap and upper chest.
"I think this is a sign to make more friends."
The cats glared at her while tilting their heads in the process.
"I should make more friends shouldn't I? Stop being so antisocial and get out more, huh?" She raised an eyebrow as she stroked the animal's fur.
Milo, Kota, and Kai stared blankly at Zayley as if they could understand her.
"You're so right. That requires talking to people, and I don't like that." She shook her head at the thought. "Why get more friends when I have you guys?"
The cats purred at the response as they snuggled closer to the human.
"Glad we had that chat." She smiled as she continued watching reruns of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Episode after episode, her eyes got heavier and heavier until she finally decided not to fight off the sleep. Just as she fell into a deep slumber, a knock on her front door made her body jerk up.
Groaning, she strolled out of her bedroom to look through her peephole.
"What the hell?" She frowned, opening the door. A delivery man stood outside, holding a massive bouquet.
"Delivery for Zayley Palmer?"
"That's me." She smiled lazily as the man handed her a pen and paper.
"Sign here for me please."
Once she did, they exchanged the items before briefly saying goodbyes.
"My god, this is heavy. Who on earth sent me these?" She closed the door with her feet and sat them on her kitchen counter.
After a minute of searching through the arrangement, Zayley found a decorative card attached to them.
Dear Z,
I want to apologize for being distant these past couple of days. I know this isn't much, but I hope these flowers put a smile on your face. Love you, and call me whenever you get this.
From, Quentin
You gotta be kidding me." She yawned, rubbing the crust out of her eyes.
She looked over the card again to ensure she was reading the letter correctly.
"It's the audacity of this mix breed for me." She scoffed, grabbing her phone off the counter and going to her contact list.
As the phone rang, her polka-dot socks paced the porcelain floors while glancing at the yellow sunflowers.
"Can't even remember my favorite flowers, for Christ's sake." She mumbled, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Wassup, baby. You got the flowers I see." Quentin spoke cheerfully on the other end of the line.
"Yeah, I did." Zayley replied blandly.
"That's good to hear. And again, I'm-"
"Let me guess. You're sorry and promise to make it up to me whenever we see each other?" She asked, quoting his go-to line.
Once he didn't respond, she rolled her eyes. "Of course. It's always the same shit with you Q. It's like you don't even want to change. "
"Z-"
"No, save it. Because you, these flowers, and that wack-ass apology can kiss my ass!" She exclaimed as her voice got louder.
"I didn't send that gift so you could yell and give me an attitude." Quentin smacked his lips.
"I wouldn't give you one if you acted right. You're a sorry excuse for a boyfriend." She deadpanned.
"I said I was sorry."
"You always are. And I don't forgive you." She responded, knowing the sentence would catch her boyfriend off guard.
"You don't?" His question, as his voice was laced with confusion.
"Nope, and quite frankly, I've reached my limit in forgiving you." She expressed.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I'm tired of looking like a fool for sticking beside you. It also means I'm tired of this back-and-forth game we play. It's not effective whatsoever."
"Hold up. Are you trying to break up with me?"
"I'm not trying Quentin. I am breaking up with you." She informed.
Zayley could imagine the bewildered expression on his face as the line went quiet.
"I need simplicity in my life, and I don't get that feeling from this relationship anymore." She shrugged.
"Look. I know you're mad at me, but calm down and take a breather before you start making irrational decisions." He advised.
"This is far from being irrational. We knew this was bound to happen sooner or later. I guess today I finally had the guts to say it."
"So that's it. You're not even going to try to save this relationship?"
Zayley let out a dry chuckle at his question, "You must have forgotten what I was willing to give up for you. I was literally about to move my entire life to live with you in New York. That's how much I wanted us to work."
"Thank god I didn't do that." She thought to herself.
"I was all in trying to fix our relationship. You weren't putting in the effort, and look where it got you." She alluded to this very moment.
"C'mon, Zayley. You know it doesn't have to be like this," he said.
"Unfortunately, it does." She yawned again, running her hand through her hair. "Take care of yourself Quentin, and I wish you the best."
Before he could say another word, she ended the call. Shoving her phone into her pocket, she glanced at the sunflowers before sighing.
"I guess that's over." Zayley looked at her fur babies, who all seemed to crowd her legs. It was as if they knew what had just happened and wanted to console her.
Picking up Milo, she kissed his head before petting Kota and Kai. "It was for the best. He wasn't much of a cat person anyway."
Purring at the statement, the cats nestled into her closely. Giving her all the love they had to offer.
And just like that, a relationship that once served two people shattered, leaving one heartsick and the other at peace for the first time in a while.
_______________________
A word from Naiay
Zayley is officially F.N.F!
But is Quentin officially out of her life for good? I guess we'll have to wait and see 🤭
Luv you guys, 🫶🏽