“Yeeahh.Kinda.”
“I wanted to check in.See how you’re doing.”He sounds happy, which is annoying.It’s not that I don’t want him happy, but he doesn’t need to rub it in after the way he treated me.
“I’m good, Eric.Everything’s good.”
“Awesome.Things are going well over here too.I finish school at the end of the month and just accepted a job with a start-up in Silicon Valley.Great benefits package, vacation, the works.Some travel, as well.It’s a good opportunity.Lots of room for growth.”
My loser ex has a life and he called to brag?“Good for you, Eric,” I say, attempting to mean it.
“When do you leave for Harvard?”he asks cheerily.
I rub my forehead with a fist.“Uhh, well, I’m not sure.I guess I’m going.”I should go.I need to go if I want a life.
“What do you mean, you guess?”
“Well… I was sort of considering not attending.I’m not sure it’s the right path for me.”
“Are you insane?”His voice ends on a high pitch.“You’re joking, right?”
What the hell?Eric never cared about my plans.Not until he broke up with me and indicated our different futures were part of the reason.
“I was considering deferring or maybe trying something else.”I have no idea what that something else would be, but with Eric acting judgmental, I don’t want to sound like an even bigger loser and admit I don’t have a plan.“In all likelihood, I’ll end up going to law school.”
“Yeah—well, good luck with that,” he says insincerely.“I gotta go.I need to wrap up finals and search for a place on the peninsula.Me and a couple of buddies are living together.It’s gonna be rad.”
Did he just use the wordrad?
Eric got his shit together, so I have to give props for that.My ex and I have switched places.How awesome.Just—fantastic.“Okay, well, congratulations on your new job.”
“Thanks.I’ll see you around.”
Will he?I doubt it.I end the call and toss the phone on the bed, planting my face in the mattress.
Payback is abiiitch.
Jaeger stuffsthe sandwiches and drinks he bought at the marina convenience store into his backpack.He called shortly after Eric did and surprised me with a hike at Fallen Leaf Lake.
We climb down the steps to the beach and walk along the shore to the trailhead.“My ex called today,” I blurt.
His gaze slides to me, his pace slowing to a stroll.
“He called to tell me how great his life is.”I sink onto the craggy surface of a large rock.What I have to say isn’t directly related to Eric, but it needs to be said before things go further.
I stare out at the water.“I don’t want to go to law school, Jaeger.Not even to one I can afford.I don’t want to go at all.”
He sits on the low stone beside me, which puts his shoulders only a few inches above mine instead of a foot.
I turn and look at him.“I might not end up being who you thought I’d be when we started this.”Silence.He’s watching me with a calm expression on his face that tells me nothing.“What are you thinking?”
Jaeger slides the backpack from his shoulder and sets it on the ground.“I think you are who I thought you were when I saw you again, and that you should do what makes you happy.You’re a talented, smart girl.You can do anything you want.”
I choke.“Talented?I’m not talented.I’m good at school.Smart, yes, although that’s questionable now.A smart person wouldn’t give up a top law program.”
He looks out at the water.“You’re an artist too.Don’t put yourself in a box, Cali.And your ex…” He shakes his head.“Dumbass.Better for me.”He grins.
Jaeger spreads his feet wider, resting his forearms on his knees.“I never cared that you got into Harvard.I didn’t know that’s what you were doing before… well, anyway.That’s not what impressed me about you, though your intelligence is hot.”The corner of his mouth kicks up, light stubble along his jaw flickering blond in the light.
I grin.His words are like a warm blanket; they soothe and comfort.He sees me better than I see myself.“What did you mean when you said I’m an artist?”
