“Well, it did. But I’m done now. I have Zeke, and he’s kind to me. He listens, and he cares about what I say and how I feel. So you can take your so-called friendship, Harry, and shove it, because I’m done.” She slammed her chair back under the table. “I’m done with being your friend and pretending that’s all it is. I’m done with being in love with you and with being miserable about it. Go find yourself someone else willing to play the consolation prize, because this woman’s out of here.”
Grabbing her purse, Sophia swung around and pushed her way out of the juice bar, nearly mowing down several people in the process. The door rattled with the force of her departure.
For several moments, neither Preston nor I moved. Shock was keeping me still, even as my mind played Sophia’s words over and over.
“She’s in love with me?” I murmured, incredulous. “Since when?”
“Harry.” Preston’s voice held deep layers of disbelief. “Come on, now. You’ve known this for a while, even if you didn’t want to admit it.”
“No, I didn’t,” I began, but even as I denied it, I knew I was lying to myself. Yes, I’d had a sense more than once that Sophia might want more than simple friendship from me, if I’d opened that door. Some part of me had realized that there was more between us than either of us acknowledged.
“Okay, fine,” I relented. “Maybe I did know, but I didn’t think she wanted to . . . pursue anything. She never gave me any indication that she did. I thought it was one of those unspoken things. Like inGuardians of the Galaxy.”
“She didn’t speak it because she was afraid of losing you.” Preston spread his hands. “This isn’t complex, my boy. It’s simple.”
“I can’t believe I made such a mess of everything.” I dropped my head into my hands. “I didn’t realize that I was hurting her. I’d never intentionally do that to Sophia.”
“You chose not to see it, but you had to know it on some level,” Preston argued. “You even asked me why Sophia was acting weird. I think maybe you were hoping I was going to tell you the truth—force you to acknowledge it.”
I grimaced. “When did you get some flippin’ deep, Preston?”
He grinned. “I’ve always been deep, Harry. You just haven’t looked.”
“You’re not going to declare your love for me, too, are you?” I groaned. “I can only take one of those in a day, I think.”
“Not me.” Preston chuckled. “I mean, I love you, my boy, but not in that way. Not the way Sophia does.”
Those words sobered me up fast. Sophia was in love with me. “What the hell do I do with this?” I asked slowly, talking mostly to myself. “How do I react? What do I say to her?”
“That’s up to you, and I recommend you give it some serious thought.” Preston studied me. “Don’t do anything hasty. If you go running after Sophia and try to make nice with her, it’s not going to work. Even if you decided to declare your love for her now, she won’t believe you. Plus, she might slug you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that angry.”
“You’re not wrong,” I agreed. “And I don’t know yet how I feel. I’m just—reeling. I feel like someone woke me up from a coma and dumped a ton of new information on me.”
“That’s kind of what Sophia did.” Preston gave my shoulder a light punch. “I suggest you go home and take a long time to think. If you want to talk or something, give me a call. Otherwise, I’m going to leave you alone. You’ve had a tough week, my boy.”
I rose, nodding. “Good idea. That’s what I’m going to do.” I paused before turning toward the door. “Does she really—do you think Sophia legit loves me, Preston? It’s not just, like, a crush or something, is it?”
Preston blew out a long breath. “Harry, if you could see the way Sophia looks at you when you’re not paying attention, you wouldn’t have any doubt about it. She’s been in love with you for years now, and that kind of love is definitely real.” He lifted one shoulder. “And it’s not going to go away any time soon. I think she tried to see if she could feel the same way about Zeke, but it didn’t work. He’s a great guy, but when it comes down to it, he’s not you.”
I swallowed over the lump in my throat. “Thanks, Preston. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Hang in there, my boy. It’s all going to work out all right. You’ll see.”
* * *
I wished that I had Preston’s optimism.
When I got back home, my mother was sitting at the kitchen table. She glanced up at me and shook her head.
“Harry, I love you, son, but you’re a dumbass.”
My mouth dropped open. “What? Why? How can you say that to me?”
“I don’t know where your dad and your sisters and I went wrong with you. How could you hurt that poor girl like you did?” Mom tossed up her hands. “How could you not know that Sophia loves you? How could you not see that you’ve been in love with her for years?”
“Wait a second.” My world was spinning again, and I had to sit down. “How did you know all this? And what makes you think I love her?”
“How did I know about Sophia loving you? Because I have eyes in my head. About you loving her? Because you’re my son, and even though I said you’re a dumbass, I raised you better, and you’re ultimately going to be smart enough to see the treasure in front of you. How do I know that you hurt her? Because she told Vivian, and Vivian called me.”
