I’ve spent so much time during the past two months berating myself for my failings, attempting to make sense of why Nate dumped me. It’s easy to slip back into those thought patterns.
George holds the sheet up to his glasses, trying to read one of the things I’ve scratched out. “I didn’t realize your ego had taken this much of a flogging,” he says, sounding softer than he has all day.
“You try being dumped the day before your wedding and see how cocky you feel.”
He stares at the ocean, then crouches down, untying his laces.
“What are you doing?”
He doesn’t reply until he’s kicked off his boots.
“Move over.” George climbs into the hammock, and it takes us a minute to get comfortable, although we’re touching from shoulder to knee. “Don’t overthink it,” he says.
For a moment, I think he’s talking about the physical contact before I realize he means the list.
“I thought the point of this exercise was to think.”
He slants his head, meeting my eyes. His glasses are smudged, but I don’t automatically reach to clean them.
“Think, yes. But don’t second-guess yourself. Like you said, you’re competitive. I like that about you. You’re driven and full of fire. You don’t give up when you care about something.”
He takes my pen and writes it down. “Your turn.”
I scrunch my nose.
“Just give me three things, Frankie.”
“Would you want to do this?”
“God, no. But this is part of The Plan, and the fact that you’re struggling might be a sign that your self-esteem needs recalibrating.”
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Great.”
“If you do, too.”
He sighs. “You’re impossible.” On the other side of the page, he writes his name followed byTenacious,Good with words, andExcellent hair.
“The hair doesn’t count,” I say.
“I grew it myself.”
Then he writes,Usually right, but not afraid to admit when wrong. He flashes me a roguish grin.
“Come on,” he says. “Your turn. Give me three adjectives off the top of your head.”
George hangs an arm over the side of the hammock and begins pushing the ground so we rock side to side.
I stare into the forest canopy. “I like to think I’m creative.”
“You definitely are.”
“I’m loyal, I show up for people, and I have good follow-through. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it.”
He writes it all down, and I exhale.
“Was that really so hard?”
