“Admittedly, that does ring a bell. However, we are not talking about me. Or mortal men. We are talking abouttheJake Taylor.”
I slump back into the chair. I’m not in the mood for this—I’m still processing Jake’s return myself—but judging by the looks on my friends’ faces, there’s not a chance in hell I’m getting out of this conversation. Chloe isn’t even on her phone for once. She’s staring at me with the same intensity she’d give a client after learning they’d retweeted J. K. Rowling.
“Well… he wasn’ttheJake Taylor when I met him. He was just Jake. And we only spent that one weekend together, before he was famous. I’m not even sure why he came over last night, to be honest.”
“Nice try.” Ali’s not buying it. “But I remember how swoony you were over him. And the way you guys were looking at each other this morning? It took hours to tame my subsequent lady wood. Now spill.”
I groan, burying my face in the satin throw pillow Ali picked up during our last thrift-store expedition. I’ve got to hand it to her—the girl has a remarkable talent for treasure hunting. The only treasure I ever found while vintage shopping was a used condom in a cookie jar.
“Lexi.” Chloe’s voice is slow and deliberate. She levels a serious gaze at me as she sets her drink on the coffee table. “Is ‘Blueberry’ about you?”
“I plead the fifth!” I protest, my voice muffled beneath the fabric. Chloe drags the pillow off my face, one eyebrow raised in a way that says,I know you slept with a stuffed bunny until you left for college, so don’t try to bullshit me.
“Okay,fine,it’s about me,” I admit. “I mean, technically, it’s about my blueberry pancakes. I’m just tangential to the recipe.”
Chloe tilts her head. “And his other songs?”
I bring my hand to my mouth, biting my thumbnail. If I have anything resembling cuticles left after this conversation, it’ll be a miracle. “It’s… possible that I inspired a few others on the album. Have you ever heard the song ‘Dorothy’?”
“Holyfuckballs!” Ali squeals. “So, you mean to tell me that for the past year and a half, while I’ve been playing his songs on repeat, and watching reels, and reading his Wattpad fan fiction, you’ve just been sitting on the fact that you’re Jake Taylor’s secret muse and soul mate? Does our friendship meannothingto you?!”
“I’m sorry!” I say pleadingly. “I just didn’t have any idea how to tell you the truth. And honestly, I never expected to see him again, so I figured there wasn’t any point.”
Ali frowns. “I just wish you would have told us what was really going on in your life. We would have—”
“I know,” I say, cutting her off. I swallow. “It was all just really… I don’t know. Surreal.”
Chloe lets out a measured sigh. “So, when you told us Jake ghosted you—?”
“He went to LA to record a demo. I didn’t expect it to go anywhere. Honestly, I don’t think he did either. Neither of us expected him to become an overnight sensation.”
Everything else spills out, from the night I met Jake to our last phone call. This is the first time I’ve told the full story out loud, and my relief is palpable. The night we met and all the craziness since has been playing on a continuous loop in my brain for the past year, and it feels amazing to finally process it all with my friends.
When I finish, Chloe twists her lips contemplatively. “What are you going to do?”
I shake my head. “I have no idea. He wants another chance. But I need some time to think about it.”
“Let me get this straight.” Ali leans in, her dark eyebrows raised. “Jake Taylor, as inPeoplemagazine’s pick for ‘sexiest charttopper,’ knocks on your door and begs for another chance to ravage your mortal body, and you have tothinkabout it?”
“Of course she does!” Chloe protests. “He really hurt her, and she’s supposed to forgive him, just like that?”
“Listen, if she doesn’t want him, I’m more than happy to fill in.”
“Ali!”
“I’m kidding! I would never get in the way of true love.” She pauses to look at me. “Unless, like, you were one hundred percent over him and wanted to let him know you have this friend who’s super cool, possesses above-average dexterity, and makes an A-plus brisket.”
“I do not love Jake Taylor,” I mutter, crossing my arms sulkily. “I mean, sure, we had this, like, instant, inexplicable connection, and mind-blowing sex, and a mutual appreciation forThe Golden Girls.…”
“I’m sorry, you found another human being under the age of eighty-five who appreciates the cheesecake queens of Miami?” Chloe’s eyes are wide. “I’m reconsidering my position. You may need to marry this man.”
“I’ll never forget my first love,” Ali says dreamily. “Josh Berkowitz. I lost my virginity to him after his AEPi date party. The sex only lasted for ninety seconds, but afterwards, he took me to the dining hall for all-you-can-eat chicken fingers. It was literally one of the best nights of my life.”
“The things you’ll do for fried food.” Chloe shakes her head incredulously.
Ali nudges her. “You ever been in love?”
Chloe shrugs, swirling her straw around the can. “The closest I’ve ever come to love was New Year’s Eve 2015 with Nancy Wu. That girl had magic fingers.” She drifts off, smiling wistfully.
