Her entire body stiffens, and I know without a doubt I've said the wrong thing. But it's too late to fix it now.
She pulls away, and that's the end of it. I flinch because I can't act like that one motion doesn't sting.
I don't know if it's the end of us, but it's the end of this conversation. I know she doesn't want to get into it right now, after last night. I think I've learned my lesson about pushing her when she is not ready to be pushed. I just learned the lessons too late.
“Okay. Well, I guess I will see you around.”
She simply nods her head, and I back out of the doorway.
I guess this is what I get for wanting more when she wasn't sure she was ready for it. But I can be patient. It’s all I can do, even though every cell in my body is telling me to go in there and apologize for acting like an ass.
“You look depressed,” Dale leads us into the soon to be studio.
They've made a lot of progress since I was last in this space. There's still so much to do, but it will come withtime.
“I’m fine.” I sigh.
I'm not. It’s been four days since the beach trip, and I haven't heard from Paula. I don't know what's happening, and it's driving me bonkers.
“No, you're not fine.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“It’s because I know that look and nothing good ever comes from it. I take it things didn't go well on the trip with the girl from the flower shop.”
“How did you know that was where I went?”
I don't remember telling him that specific part. I don't even remember telling him I was going with Paula. So how did he find out?
“We may have played a gig at the bar over the weekend.” He's no longer looking at me and studies every possible thing he can in the studio. “And Eric may have let it slip.”
I swear to God, that man is nothing but a gossip. He might actually be worse than the moms of some of the kids I went to high school with. Hell, even my mom is a pretty big gossip, but she has nothing on the local bartender.
“Wait, you played a show? Who did you have help you with the equipment?” A tiny part of me is hurt I wasn’t included. As much as these guys drive me up the wall, I love them and working with them. Paula was wrong, I do know what it’s like because these guys are like my siblings. I spend more time with them than I do my own family.
“Calm down. It was an acoustic show and we set up ourselves. Now, what happened while you were gone?”
There's no hiding anything now. I might as well confess all the events that transpired.
“It was going great until it wasn’t.” I run a hand through my hair because this next part is entirely my fault. “I may have stepped into something I shouldn't have.”
“What do you mean?”
“It's this whole thing with her siblings and the company they own. They want her to be a part of it, and she said she was going to tell them that she didn't want to do it. And I may have confronted her about it, when she told them she would think about it.”
Now Dale is shaking his head. “Oh, Tristan. There's one thing you should definitely learn. Do not get between a person and their siblings. They may dislike them. They may fight and argue. But at the end of the day, they love each other and they will always stick up for each other.”
“Is this coming from personal experience?”
I've only known Dale to be with one person since I've known him. I mean, of course, he has had other relationships. But I've only seen him in his current one. And he is head over heels happy with her.
“Let's just say, once upon a time, I tried to get between a girl and her family, and it did not work out well.”
“Did you use any of the situation as song inspirations?”
“I plead the fifth. You know that shit can get me in trouble legally.”
“Okay, okay, I'll stop asking for the gory details. But what did happen?”
