“Because I was stupid. I wasn’t ready to settle down. I thought I was missing out. I don’t know.” He drained half of his drink before placing the glass back on the bar.
“Why don’t you reach out to her? See if she’s willing to meet up.”
“Because she’s engaged.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
I could tell by the slump of his shoulders and the way he continually sighed that he didn’t wish to discuss his former girlfriend any longer. So, I broached the topic of my training and the upcoming fight. The diversion seemed to do the trick.
A half hour later, after he finished his second beer, we parted ways. I took my time walking back to my place, needing to think. But my colliding thoughts did nothing but confuse me further.
I hesitated for a minute outside Sophie’s apartment, contemplating knocking on her door. But what would I say? What would I do?
Nothing good would come from it. Well, one good thing would happen. One amazing thing. But Trevor was right. I had to be smart about how I proceeded with her.
Or to be more accurate, how Ididn’tproceed with her.
25
“Was Dad upset I canceled tonight?” I asked, flipping over the top of the pizza box. “I’m just really tired and wanted to stay in.”
Abby shook her head and placed a slice on her plate. “No, he wasn’t upset. He knows you’ve been busy with work.” She took a bite of her pizza, then another. “This was the perfect idea for dinner.”
“You’d eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you could,” I teased, swallowing a bite of the cheesy goodness. She’d picked up a large pie with pepperoni and sausage from our favorite pizza joint, Angelo’s. I hadn’t realized how hungry I truly was until she placed the box on my countertop, my stomach rumbling after greedily inhaling the aroma.
“I would. I really would.”
“And you could afford to do it too.”
I was a little jealous that my younger sister could eat whatever she wanted and never seem to gain an ounce of fat. I was slightly curvier than her and had to be more mindful of my food choices. Pizza was one of my favorite meals, and I did allow myself the indulgence several times a month.
“What are you talking about? You look great.”
“That’s because I watch what I eat and exercise regularly.”
“Exercise? What’s that?” She laughed when I threw a small piece of pizza crust at her.
“Exactly my point.”
She tucked her right leg beneath her and leaned back on the couch. “I’m sure there will come a time when I’m going to have to watch what I eat, so for now, I’m living it up.” She popped the last piece of her slice in her mouth and reached for another, wiggling her brows at me as she did so. “So, what’s been going on? Anything new? It’s been forever since we talked.”
“It’s been a week.”
“Like I said, it’s been forever.”
When I was with Mitch, I’d slowly lessened the times I talked to my family or even visited them. I hadn’t realized it then, but he’d been slowly alienating me from everyone else in my life. Whenever I’d mentioned I’d spoken to someone, he’d glare at me but wouldn’t say much about it. Then he’d ignore me for the rest of the day. In hindsight, he was conditioning me with the silent treatment. Over time, I’d lost touch with my small group of friends and only had one call a week with my dad and sister. And every time, he was in the room with me while we talked.
“I know. I meant to call you a few times, but with this new position, I’ve been working early hours, and by the time you get off work, I’m tired and already winding down for the night.”
What I didn’t tell her was that I often stayed up late, lying in bed, thinking about Jackson. He consumed most of my thoughts as of late, and I’d tried everything to get him out of my head. But that was hard to do when I had to see him every day. Talk to him. Touch him.
“Speaking of positions, have you gotten into any good ones with your hot boss?”
“Noooo,” I answered, drawing out my response in faux annoyance.
“But you want to, don’t you?” Abby playfully slapped my leg. “How could you not? That man is unbelievable. Hell, if you don’t want him, give him my number.”
