“Because I know her, and she’s been withdrawn lately. Plus…” I hesitated, not sure I wanted to admit this, even to two of my closest friends.
“Plus…” Boone prompted.
I…Shit. “I suggested that we move in together, and she said, ‘Can I think about it?’”
“Oof.” Gabe cringed, and Boone sucked in air through his teeth.
“Right.” I used a towel to dry the sweat from my face.
I was fucked.
Did she need to think about it because she had reservations about us? About our relationship? I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes, sick of asking myself the same questions with no answers.
I knew I was spiraling, but I couldn’t seem to stop. If only she would just talk to me. Tell me what she was thinking.
“Did she say why?” Gabe asked.
I shook my head, dropping it to rest in my hands. I groaned, wishing I knew what was wrong.
“I don’t get that,” Boone said, interrupting my thoughts. “I know she loves you. It’s obvious to anyone who sees the two of you together.”
I knew she did too, which was why I couldn’t make sense of it.
“How did you ask her?” Gabe asked.
I told them about the conversation. When I finished, Gabe scrunched up his face. “I hate to say this, but it wasn’t the most romantic way to go about it.”
I barked out a laugh. “I didn’t realize I needed to make a big deal out of it, an elaborate declaration.”
“Dude, have you seen what guys do to ask a girl to prom these days?” he asked. When I shook my head, he said, “My nephew came up with this whole ‘promposal’ with two of his friends, where they did an elaborate dance number and everything.”
“You’re shitting me.”
He shook his head, but it was Boone who responded. “No. There’s whole TikTok videos on it. It’s insane.”
I had a full-body shiver. “This is exactly why I avoid social media.”
Even so, it wasn’t like me to sit around stewing in my head and doing nothing. I was a man of action, and I could remind her of why we were so good together.
It was time to start phase two of Operation Woo.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Another package arrived from Frasier,” Allie said, eyebrow raised as she carried in the large box.
Packages in varying sizes had started arriving a few days ago. The first one had included a friendship bracelet he’d made with our initials and a heart on it. Plus, he’d included a picture of us from college. I hadn’t even remembered taking that photo, but there we were, his arm slung over my shoulder, huge smiles on our faces. I’d wondered if Derek had been standing behind the camera.
A handwritten note had accompanied the bracelet and photo. I reread the note every night before bed. I’d check Frasier’s stats on the health app, then read his words. I practically had it memorized by now.
You are my best friend, and I will always be there for you. We are better together.
I love you.
Love, Frasier
Better together.
The words kept ringingin my ears because here I was, freaking out on my own.
