“Wow, really?” I ask, feeling dread consume me.
“Yeah. I feel like that’s unheard of for a position he’s trying to fill, and I’ll never see that kind of money with the Agitators, but I don’t know, I still have to think about it.”
Yeah, think long and hard.
Take your time.
Let me figure out how the hell I’m going to convince you taking a job of a lifetime is not worth it and that staying here with me is what you really want to do.
“Probably smart,” I say, trying to sound as understanding as possible and not like the one-sided asshole that’s firing off in my head. “Take your time, think it over. And hey, if you don’t think you want to take the job, that’s fine. It’s really about what you want. I know you like living here.”
“I love it here. One of the reasons I didn’t follow Perry to Australia is because of how much I like it here. And because of my job. I feel like it would be weird if I left Vancouver for a new job.”
Even though it pains me, I say, “You can’t think about it that way. You have to look at the job, at the living conditions, and figure out what will make you the happiest.”
“You’re right,” she says on a sigh. “At least I have some time to decide. But boy is he making it harder and harder to say no.”
“Seems like a great opportunity,” I say, despite knowing I’d fucking miss her if she left, if she moved. I’d be irritated and gloomy. Mad and angered. Sad that I didn’t shoot my shot.
Maybe that means I need to expedite this process a lot quicker than expected.
I’ve made progress with her, I can feel our bond growing, but I wouldn’t say it’s anything that would hold her in place.
“We shall see.” She wipes her mouth with a napkin. “Hey, did you see that new cookie place opened up around the corner from your apartment?”
“No,” I answer. “What was it?”
“Pie Cookies, something like that. They looked so good.”
“Yeah?” I ask, pulling out my phone and typing it in. Pie Cookies comes up immediately and I see that they deliver. “Want Frederick Garrlo to order some and have them delivered?”
She chuckles. “Do they deliver?”
“They do.”
She sets her plate down and immediately scoots in close to me so she’s leaning on my arm. “What flavors do they have?”
I chuckle and open up the menu for us both.
“Ah, Halsey, they have a blueberry cream cheese cookie. You love blueberry.”
“Adding that to the cart,” I say as I click on the plus sign.
“Hmmm . . . oh look, rocky road with a marshmallow center. Yes please. Add.”
“Should we each pick one more?”
“I don’t think we’d be doing the cookies justice if we didn’t.”
“I think you’re right.” I scroll slowly and end up adding a strawberry cheesecake, sticking with a theme, and she grabs one that’s labeled chocolate desire, giving me the heads-up that this girl really likes chocolate.
Once they’re ordered, we go back to our tacos while noting how excited we are about the cookies and that they better be good. It’s casual, fun, and feels so right, like I’ve been sharing meals and conversations with this girl forever. And as we talk about stupid things like why the Smurfs are blue and is it because they eat too many blue things and will that happen to me because I like blueberry flavored things, I think to myself . . . Holden would fucking love her.
He would be sitting back, legs propped up on the coffee table with one crossed over the other and a giant smile on his face, watching me interact with Blakely, knowing deep down that she’s perfect for me.
I knew it the day I first met her.
The moment I looked her in the eyes.
