“Chasing after her?” Rhett snorted. “Have you even asked her out?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact I have. Yesterday.” Sort of.
“And she shot you down?” He sounded genuinely surprised. “Is that what the fight was about?”
“No, it’s more complicated than that. I’ll tell you about it sometime.”
“But right now you’re too hung over, huh?”
“Something like that.”
“Joel, listen to me. I know you’re tempted to go out and get laid tonight, just because you’re pissed off at Gia. But don’t do it. It won’t fix anything. Take it from a guy who used too many other women to forget the one I should have been with all along.”
Rhett and his wife, Briar, had a long history of one-night stands before they finally admitted they had feelings for each other. Things were complicated. Rhett was her brother’s best friend. She had commitment issues and repeatedly ghosted him after their one-nighters. But they had history. He’d been her first. The guy she kept going back to, over and over again.
History. Damn it. Me and Gia had too much history for me to let this be the end of the road for us. But I couldn’t call or text her. We needed to have this out face-to-face.
“Don’t worry, I intend to tell Angela the truth tonight… that I’m into someone else.” Even if Gia was serious about not speaking to me again, I didn’t want to date anyone else. I’d need time, a hell of a long time, to lick my wounds, without meaningless sex to muddy the waters.
“Good, I’m glad to hear that. Because no matter what Gia may have said last night, you guys could have a good thing together. I really believe that. And I love that girl like a sister. She deserves a good guy, someone who would treat her right. And I think you’re just the man for the job.”
My friend had more faith in me than I had in myself right now. I wanted to do right by Gia, but I was like anyone else, afraid to put myself out there and risk rejection.
“I appreciate that, but it’s ultimately her decision. She’s friend-zoned me so long, I’m not even sure she’d be willing to entertain anything more.” Except that kiss we’d shared, the flirting, the implication that we’d definitely be consummating our fake marriage, implied she’d at least be open to a physical relationship. But the physical without the emotional wasn’t going to work for me this time. Not with Gia.
“Briar told me she was going over there yesterday to pitch her idea, about the fake marriage so—”
“She pitched it.”
“Is that what the fight was about?”
“No. I was willing to help her out. Hell, I’d do anything for that girl.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, because you gotta know her messed up idea is the in you’ve been waiting for, right?”
Rhett and I were on the same page, but hearing him say it made me question everything. I shouldn’t have to play games or strategize to get a woman, should I? If Gia and I were meant to be together, shouldn’t she want me as much as I wanted her?
“You still there, man?”
“Uh, yeah. Just thinking.”
“Okay, I know you’ve got some shit to work out, so I’m gonna let you go. But if you need to talk, just call, okay?”
“Thanks.” I swiped the phone to hang up, thinking it was nice to have some real friends, after all the fake friends I’d had in L.A.
I clutched my phone before pulling up a picture I’d taken of me and Gia on her last birthday. Rhett and Briar hosted a surprise party for her and Briar snapped a picture of us wrapped in each other’s arms on the patio. We were looking into each other’s eyes. I couldn’t even remember what we were talking about and it didn’t matter. Briar captured a moment. And the chemistry our friends had been talking about for so long was evident in the picture.
When Briar texted it to both of us she captioned it,Are you two blind?
I sighed as I stared at the screen. “I can’t give up on you, girl.”
ChapterSix
Gia
Briar insisted we meet for coffee and muffins at our favorite café, since Rhett was babysitting their daughter, but after my fight with Joel last night I wasn’t in the mood for girl talk. Or talking to anyone for that matter.
“Ok, tell me what’s wrong,” Briar said, wrinkling her nose as she peeled back the lid on her de-caff. “I love being pregnant, but de-caffeinated coffee sucks.”
