“Like you said. Expected.”
“They loved him?”
She took another drag. “Andhethem.”
He placed the scripts on the chair, adjusted his pants and went to sit beside her. “What happened?”
She got down from the stool, about to change seats again, but he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Stop running from me.” With his other hand, he took the vape from her. “And it’s a little early for this.” He tossed it on the counter. “What the hell happened?”
Her misty eyes escaped his stare. “She told me he was too good for me, and I’d better find a way to get him to marry me soon so he wouldn’t run away.”
That bitch!“Fuck what she says. You know her. She’s full of it.”
“Kyle thinks she’s a very practical and charming person.”
He snorted loudly. “It looks like you didn’t prepare him for that meeting. Does he know any of the shit between you and her?”
“Some of it, yes.” She pursed her lips. “But he thinks maybe I got her all wrong. He suggests I look at things from her perspective and give her another chance. Maybe I’ll start seeing things differently.”
His teeth clenched as he pictured himself shoving Kyle’s head in a toilet after punching him toothless. “So he’s a douchebag.”
Her fingers tapped on the leather cushion of the stool. “I’m so lost and confused. It’s not new, but it’s more than ever now. I mean, what if I’m the douchebag? What if he is too good for me?”
He gaped at her. “Who are you? And what have you done with my best friend?”
“I’m serious. I’m trying so hard not to be that girl who changed careers and boyfriends like dirty socks in extreme attempts to be happy. Because, even though I don’t regret following my passion, I wasn’t exactly happy, only less miserable. But choosing what’s right, like holding on to Kyle, feels like holding on to my old job with Dad. People would kill to have either, the prestigious job or the dreamy man, but I… I’m still not happy. I’m anything but. It shouldn’t feel that way, but it is what it is. I’m only making everybody upset. That only means there’s something wrong with me. I’m the douchebag, Mike.”
“I’m fuckin’ dead serious, too,” he said, his voice louder than he wanted. “Listen to me.” He swirled her to face him. “You can’t let anyone tell you that. Never.” His hands cupped her face. “You were right to follow your dreams, and today is enough proof. And you deserve someone who loves you for who you are, for your bravery, for your confusion, for your beautiful flaws, for your incredible heart, because you’re an amazing person in every way possible.Youare too good for him, not the other way around.”
Tears slipped from her dark eyes. Then she buried her head in his chest. “I’m sorry I stopped talking to you.”
His heart was banging, but he didn’t pull away; he held her shaking body as hard as he could. Let her hear it. Let her know. That fucking asshole was supposed to make her happy, not make her question herself to the point of angst. “Promise me you’ll never do that again.”
“Promise,” she mumbled, sniffling.
He kissed her head, his eyes wandered to the misfit door. “Why did you let that prick move in after what he said?”
Wiping away her tears, she tilted her head up to him. “Because I love that prick.”
His stomach convulsed as if he was punched in the gut.
“At least, I think I do. Part of me does anyway.” She glanced at him for a few moments. “And you’re suddenly out of words.”
He dragged his feet to the kitchen and leaned far in the fridge, his eyes squeezed shut, his breath catching. The cold temperature in the fridge counterbalanced the heat rising to his cheeks. “It’s…quite a revelation, don’t you think?”
“C’mon, I’m not the only one who’s been keeping secrets.” Blame dripped from her tone.
With a quivering hand, he grabbed a bottle of water and stood behind the kitchen counter, his elbows rested on the cold marble. “So you’re mad at me? You’ve stopped talking to me and started hiding things because I didn’t tell you just one thing?”
“Just one thing?” She raised her eyebrows. “Being in love…for God knows how long…is justone thing?”
“Okay it’sthething, but it’s not like I did it on purpose. I couldn’t tell you. What’s your excuse?”
Her mouth hung open for a second, then snapped shut. “Why couldn’t you tell me?”
“You watched the show. You know why. I can’t tell anyone about this. Not even…her.” It was a mistake right from the start. He should have never opened his mouth.
She sat on the bar stool, her lips twitching. “That’s so fuckin’…romantic. So sweet.”
