“Someone’s a little hangry. Julia, honey, have another slice of pizza. I’ll pick off the olives and peppers for you,” Sonia suggested.
“She also dated Mr. Trot,” Rachel said.
“That slick sequins guy on TV? He’s cute. My mom loves him. But the music...” Sonia shuddered while vigorously shaking her head.
“He asked her toramen and chillin his hotel room,” Rachel continued.
“What a sleazeball,” Sonia responded.
“Oh, and she drunkenly told Tae she wished he’d be her next setup,” Rachel added.
“Wait, you couldn’t lead with this headline?” Sonia spun her head around to look at Julia, wild-eyed. “Wow, you’ve been busy.”
“You,” Julia said, pointing at Rachel, “shush. And you,” she said and turned to point at Sonia, “listen carefully. I’m moving to the desert to get away from this cruel world. Setup number two was with Mr. Trot, and I’m still not over the migraine. And lastly, I may not have told Tae anything. Problem is, I don’t quite remember.”
Sonia stared at Julia, processing.
Julia waited.
“Uh-huh.”
Julia dropped her head in her hands. A pair of arms wrapped around her while an errant foot kicked her shin.
“Julia, why are you making things so hard on yourself?” Sonia asked, squeezing her tight.
“Just man up and get it on with Tae. What are you waiting for?” Rachel chastised her, a perfectly pedicured foot kicking her once more.
“Ow! I bruise easily,” Julia whined.
“Good, then you’ll remember this message longer,” Rachel said.
“I’m not saying Tae isn’t a great guy. He’s the salt of the earth. But hejustgot out of a relationship. And we’re just now getting to know each other again. I would never risk our friendship by throwing it into the garbage disposal that is my dating life. And, well, honestly, I don’t know that I could be enough for him. He needs someone who—”
“He needs someone who will support him as he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. Not someone like hisex-girlfriend who complained and demanded more from him,” Rachel said. “From what you’ve told us, she’s a real bitch.”
“That’s not fair. Maybe I was a little one-sided in my assessment of her. She just wasn’t right for Tae is all. And, by the way, neither am I,” Julia said.
“Tae needs someone who sees him as Superman,” Sonia said.
“But someone who doesn’t need Superman to save her too,” Rachel added. Sonia reached over, and Rachel met her hand in a high five.
“I repeat,” Julia said and looked at Rachel and then at Sonia, “he just got out of a relationship. I have no intention of being his rebound.”
“It’s been months since they broke up. And you would not be his rebound. You’d be his dream come true. You’ve been the one he’s wanted since he was a kid, just waiting for you to notice him now that he’s a man.” Sonia sighed. She mistook Julia for the heroine in one of her romance novels.
“Shit, why are you even going through these setups looking for your forever love when he’s standing right in front of you... prepping you to fall for someone else?” Rachel furrowed her brow. “Wait, this is some messed-up love story.”
Julia shook her head. “This is not how real life works. Just because we were friends growing up and have reconnected as adults doesn’t mean we were some kind of meant-to-be.”
Two sets of eyes bored into her soul.
“Plus he’s going through his own identity crisis of what he wants with his life. He’s not even sure if he’s staying in California. And I, well, we all know what a mess I am. My grandmother’s health is in question. Work has got me running in circles.” Julia stopped and took a breath. She closed her eyes before admitting the rest. “And I like him. I’m not willing to risk hurting him because I’m bad at dating and in a moment of wine-fueled weakness told him I wanted more.”
“Well, at least you’ve thought it through,” Sonia said. “But I think you need to stop being so hard on yourself. And I think you need to give Tae some more credit.”
“You’re both adults. And from what I can see, neither of you has a crystal ball to predict the future. You can’t run scared you’re gonna mess up any time there’s something that you’re not certain will succeed. You can’t let your fear of failure paralyze you from trying.”
Julia thought of the global expansion for Starlight. She wondered if it was something the team could handle on their own. Getting investors would be easier, but would it be the right choice? Could she take the risk?
