I tell Mimi about showing up at Liam’s place unannounced,and she swiftly agrees that it was a good thing I met the surprisingly delightful Bianca, because otherwise I might have never heard the truth. Knowing that Liam cheated has spared me excessive guilt over my kiss with Ryan.
“Have you told him?” Mimi asks when I conclude the saga.
“Told who what?”
“Have you told Ryan about the breakup?” Mimi says, looking at me as though I’ve lost my mind.
“Oh. No, not yet.”
She gasps. “Why the hell not?”
I bury my head in my hands. When I got home from Liam’s last night, I spent a long time drafting and redrafting a message to Ryan, but no matter how hard I tried, nothing sounded right and it looked too formal and stilted in writing. Then I realized what the problem was: I had no idea what Iwantedto say. Was it enough to say I’d broken up with Liam? Or should I acknowledge what happened betweenus? And if I did, should I then say what Iwantto happen going forward? WhatdoI want to happen going forward?!
It was all too overwhelming, and I got a terrible headache, so in the end I gave up and decided I’d message him in the morning. But today nothing seems clearer.
“What am I supposed to say?” I moan. “Send him a casual WhatsApp informing him I’ve broken up with my boyfriend?”
“Um.Yes?” She stares at me wide-eyed.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just… drop it into conversation when I see him? It doesn’t seem right putting anything in a message.”
“You left himmid-kiss,” Mimi says accusingly. “And now he hasn’t heard from you? Come on, he deserves more than that. We’re doing it now. I’ll help you compose it.”
She’s right. I know she’s right. So, together, we craft the following message, and I press Send before I can overthink it:
Hey Ryan, sorry again about yesterday. It would be great to chat everything through in person if that’s okay? X
I check my phone every thirty seconds until hefinallyreplies a few minutes later:Sounds good x
I try to play it cool on Monday morning as I wander into the office, but when Ryan isn’t at his desk on my arrival as usual, my face must give me away. I notice Mimi watching me as I sit down.
“Are you wondering whereRyanis?” she teases, raising her eyebrows.
“I was thinking it’s unusual that he’s not at his desk on time,” I reply casually, keeping my voice down.
She grins at me, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Nice dress.”
I’m wearing one of my favorite summer dresses—pale blue with lemons all over it—and I’m hoping to get a bit of color before I leave for Florence on Friday.
“Thanks. I thought it was right for such a sunny day.”
“Makes your boobs look good, I see.”
“Mimi!” I hiss, glancing round to make sure no one overheard. “That is very inappropriate.”
“Got the pins out, too,” she remarks, peering over the desk to look at my legs. “Did you fake tan last night after I left?”
“Yes, because it’ssunny,and I thought it might be nice to be a little bronzed.”
“Anyone you’re trying to impress?”
I glare at her, but she is unfazed, returning to her typing with an irritatingly smug smile on her lips.
We soon realize that Cosmo is in a foul mood today because he twisted his ankle golfing this weekend, so I pretend to be very busy until his booming voice on the phone to his podiatristgets too much and Mimi and I both decide we should escape to Roasted.
“I can’t stop thinking about what Liam said to you,” Mimi admits while we wait for our coffees. “He really still thought you’d write a piece promoting his agency? What planet is that guy on?”
“And a feature on Halo Skewed,” I remind her. “I wasn’t even going to write one on them in the first place! Ryan was right about him.”
