11
Ryder - She’s Making it Work… With Him
Denise showing up to Alex’s family dinner with Andrew was not at all what I was expecting. I can only blame my behaviour on the shock of seeing her there with him. After she told me they broke up, I thought that was the end of them. It never would have occurred to me she would want to make it work with him after that.
And that dress she was wearing. She looked so uncomfortable in it. I don’t know if anyone else noticed because she dragged me outside as soon as she arrived, but I could tell she wasn’t happy with it. Maybe I should text Alex to see if she knows what’s up. It sounded like she’d been talking to her during the week sometime, so it’s probably my only shot.
Me- Hey, any idea why Denise brought Andrew today? I thought they broke up.
Alex- That’s not my place to say. But you should probably ask her if you want to know. Where did you go, anyway? Devon said you left, but I didn’t see you leave.
Me- I went out from the deck after I talked to Denise. What do you mean I should ask her?
Alex- I know she has her reasons, but I can’t tell you what they are. You’ll have to ask her if you want to know.
Me-Did you know that I told her how I feel?
Alex- She mentioned that.
Me- Then why the hell would she try to make it work with Andrew? I felt something when I spent the day there. And I’m pretty sure she did too. It just doesn’t make any sense to me why she’d run back to him after what she told me.
Alex- Like I said, she has her reasons. Call her. If she wants you to know, she’ll tell you.
Me- Did you notice her dress?
Alex- Yeah, that was a little weird. Didn’t really seem like something she would normally wear.
Me - That’s what I was thinking too.
Me- Okay. I’ll call her. Talk to you later.
I don’t know if I really should call Denise. But I can’t stop myself and before I know it, the phone is ringing. She picks up on the third ring.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” I say. “It’s Ryder. I was hoping you had some time to talk? Maybe I could come over?”
She sighs into the phone receiver. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Ryder. At least not you coming here.”
“Okay, well, we can talk on the phone now if that’s good with you?”
She doesn’t answer, but she doesn’t hang up either, so I take that as a sign to continue.
“Why did you bring Andrew today? I thought you dumped him because you didn’t want to change for him?”
“I know. But after I got over being mad, I realized maybe I should try to compromise.”
“What about him? He wanted to leave as soon as you got there today. You didn’t even get to eat first.” I’m frustrated and I’m sure she can hear it in my voice.
“What the hell would you expect?” she yells in my ear. “I went outside with you and left him there alone for half an hour. He’s already jealous of you, and me disappearing with you made him uncomfortable.”
“What do you mean, he’s jealous of me? He has no reason to be jealous. He’s the one who’s with you, not me.” I hate the sulky way my voice sounds. I’m the one who has a reason to be jealous, not him.
She laughs, like I’m the dumbest person she’s ever met. She sighs deeply before explaining it to me. “He’s jealous because he knows he’s the first boyfriend I’ve had since I met you. He’s jealous because he knows I’ve been hung up on you for almost fifteen years. He’s seen the way I still look at you when you’re on stage, the way that I can’t look away when you’re in the room.”
“You…” I can’t even say anything. Is she saying she’s felt the same way for all these years? That can’t be right? She said she was over that.
“He’s seen my heart break every time you left the bar with someone. Every time I had to rescue you from your latest bad idea.” She says through tears. “He’s jealous because he knows he can only ever hope to be second place with me, despite all that.”
