“I mean, it is a viable career,” Liv contends, before retracting. “But yes, no—you’re right. I think there’s a disgustingly brawny, beautiful, sweet?—”
“Sweet is not my thing, honey. Try again,” he says, lip twitching in amusement.
“Snarky…?” Jean nods his head and Olivia continues. “Successful, supportive man out there for you. You just need to drop the dead weight.”
“Done.” They smile sweetly at each other, a new understanding developing between them, before they both turn those smiles on me in startling unison. They lift their brows, silently asking me something.
“What, Manson twins?” I shift my weight. “Should we go?” I start to walk, realizing they want details I don’t have.
“What is the status ofyourboy problems?” Jean asks, trying to mask his irritation that I haven’t been more chatty about this.
“There is no status. There are no problems.” I shrug, forcing them to follow the long strides I make out to the parking lot. “And there is no boy,” I shout back, the words slick in my throat.
They catch up to me, arms crossed, and I wonder how they didn’t become friends sooner.
Olivia squints at me. “Gen,pleasetell me you’re not just waiting for him to text you?”
“I’m not waiting for anything, Liv. We talked on Thanksgiving and…” Tears prick at my eyes as I remember.
“Okay, we arenotbeing that girl. Believe me—you’re just prolonging the inevitable.”
“Which is?”
“Your ‘happily ever after.’ Duh,” Jean says, leaning his head against Olivia’s, a whimsical smile on his face. “You want him, don’t you?”
“Of course.” The truth of it resounds in my chest as I say it, makes my heart swell with hope that’s almost painful.
“Then actlike it. Call him, Gen. You can’t just wait around forever. Either he wants you or…you need to move on,” Liv says. My heart sinks at the idea of him not wanting me at all, of him having moved so far on from this while I’m still silently reeling.
I glance over at Jean, his lips pursed as he scrunches his brows at Liv.
“What?” she says to him, shrugging. “He needs some motivation. Menneverknow what they have until it’s almost gone. Believe me,” she adds, rolling her eyes.
“I guess I just have a little more faith in him,” Jean says, his disagreement making Liv’s arms cross dramatically. “He’s sensitive, G. He’s up against a lot. It’s not going to be easy for him to believe you won’t leave…”
Liv’s eyes go wide, scorning him with just a look, and he holds his hands up in mock surrender.
“I’m just saying! You both messed up, Gen, but his trust issues run deep.”
“And I get that. But I can’t earn his trust back if he won’t evenspeakto me.” Tears well in my eyes, and I immediately sniff them back.
“Thenyouneed to speak to him,” Olivia says, rare compassion padding her voice as she unlocks her car.
“SHOTGUN!” Jean bellows, and it pulls me out of the pitiful thought spiral. “Sorry. Shotgun,” he repeats, more calmly.
“I just—” I slide into the back seat of the car, Jean and Olivia gripping the backs of their seats as they turn to listento me. “I just don’t want to chase him. Is it crazy thatIwant to be chosen for once?”
“Yes,” says Olivia, just as Jean croons, “No, of course not.” They shoot each other looks of confusion, like they’re shocked they weren’t in sync.
“He needs to know the ball is in his court,” Olivia says with finality, her brows rising high in a show of surety I wish I had at this moment. My eyes shoot to Jean, waiting for him to give me advice I want to hear.
“Listen, Iwouldwait on a man like him forever,” he says, tossing his head and immediately lightening the mood.
“We know,” Liv groans, her lips tugging up into a playful smile as we pull onto the parkway. “How many times did you and Ian break up? Tell me again why this time is different?”
“Shut up,” Jean drawls, relaxing back in his seat.
Their banter is the perfect balm for the sadness threatening to overwhelm me. But once their laughter dissipates, traces of it still remain.
