It’s pretty obvious you don’t want to hear from me right now but I think we should talk when you’re ready
I was absolutely right when I said I’d pay for my run. Stepping out of bed the next morning, I moan, realizing how stiff my entire lower body already feels. My shins burn, and my glutes cease up as I walk down the hall to the bathroom Dani and I share.
Despite my aching body, my mind is feeling a little better this morning. The run thankfully helped me fall asleep the second my head hit the pillow. I know what I want to do now,what Ineedto do. I have to get Andrew back. I have to prove to him that I love and accept him just as he does for me.
I quickly glance at my phone to check for texts from Andrew. Still nothing.
I’ll do whatever it takes to get him back. I’ll buy him all the books in the world, even if I’m broke for the rest of my life. I’ll grovel on my hands and knees. I’ll tell him I’m the stupidest person alive. It’s not like I’d be wrong because at one point I sincerely believed the best thing I could possibly do was break up with Andrew.
I hop in for a quick shower. I need to start the day fresh, and there’s no way I’m working out today. Maybe a walk later would be good for my legs, but I know better than to push my muscles too far by going for a run or a swim.
As I rake the comb through my hair, I hear Dani saunter down the hallway. Part of me wants to tell her thank you for talking with me yesterday and being my voice of reason, but the stubborn part of me doesn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she was right. She is my older sister after all. I can’t give her too much power.
Stopping by and leaning on the doorframe, she asks, “Are you feeling better today?”
I nod silently.
“What are you going to do?”
I set the brush down and begin to put on a coat of mascara. I can’t look at her when I tell her this. “You were right. I’m going to talk to Andrew and prove to him that I love him.”
She squeals with glee and wraps her arms around me. The force of her hug bumps my arm, causing me to smear mascara all over my right lid.
“Look what you did!” I scold.
She continues beaming at me. “You’re making the right choice! How are you planning to dothat exactly?”
Carefully cleaning off the unwanted mascara with a Q-tip, I answer, “I haven’t exactly gotten that far.”
“I’ll help you come up with a plan.”
“It’s okay. You’ve done plenty already. I think I need to do this on my own. I’m just going to go over and talk to him. He’s not returning my texts.”
She raises her eyebrows. “No no no! You screwed up much more than just an apology. Remember when you bought him a book at the beginning of the summer? You pulled off a bigger gesture to make up with him then, and that was a much smaller fight.”
I wince. I know I messed up big time, but hearing Dani say it makes me feel even worse. “What should I do then? I don’t feel like anything can make up for our fight. I doubted us. I don’t know how to show him that it was a mistake.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to figure it out because you need to give him some space first.”
“Why? Shouldn’t I be pounding on his door right now and letting him know how quickly I realized that I was being stupid?” I question.
“You flipped the switch on Andrew pretty suddenly when you shut him out. I think Andrew will appreciate knowing you put some thought into taking him back. For the sake of your relationship in the long run, he needs to know that you didn’t just change your mind back again as a rash decision. Give yourself another day or two to sit on this and make sure it’s what you want. Then prove to him that you’re in it for the long haul, not to change your mind again in another day or two.”
“Ouch,” I mutter.
“I’m sorry, but you deserved that one.”
“Whose side are you on?” I challenge, feeling betrayed.
“Yours,” she states coolly, “but it’s not my fault you were being a dumbass. I’m just here to make sure you fix it.”
I can’t help the laugh that escapes me. Her frank tone onceagain reminds me of Rebecca. “Thank you, Dani. I’m really glad I’ve had you here for me this summer. I hope you know I’ll always be here for you too.”
She pulls me in for a warm embrace, and when she pulls away, her face turns serious. “That’s enough sap for a couple days! Let’s get to planning your grand gesture for Andrew.”
Grabbing two grocery sacks from the back of the car, Dani asks, “Do you think he’s just going to agree to meet up with you and hear you out?”
We’ve been talking about my grand gesture for Andrew for easily two and a half hours, including our entire trip into town for groceries.
