“Aw, don’t blame Violet,” Lexie defends.“Her love life is boring now that she’s settled down, so she had to spillyourtea just to keep things interesting.”
“Lexie!”Violet squeals, mimicking my same outrage.
Lexie folds her arms.“Am I wrong?”
“Yes,” Violet argues.“My love life is plenty interesting, but it’s not my fault that June’s little soiree with a certain Harden brother made the headlines for recent events, okay?”
“And why does my little makeout session with Ford make the headlines?”I ask.“You both have kissed plenty of guys?—”
“And it always makes the headlines,” Violet quips.
I give the girl a scowl but don’t reply.Besides, maybe I’m just sensitive about the whole Ford bit because it involves, you know, Ford.
“Well,” I mumble, “even if we did make headlines, he hasn’t reached out since, so…” Blah.Why does it sound so pathetic when I say it out loud?It’s not like I expected anything less.But even so, I’ve been avoiding admitting the truth since the moment he walked out of the room and left me behind.But maybe it’s the silence that’s been holding me back.Maybe if I admit the truth to everyone, it’ll be like airing out a room after cooking seafood, you know?A chance to clear the air and all.
I collapse onto my tiny twin-sized bed, careful not to jostle my hidden laptop.
Lexie plops down next to me.“That’s lame,” she announces.
“Super lame,” I agree.“But not surprising.”
“Want to know what I think?”she asks.“I think we need to teach you the art of teasing.”
“Teasing?”Violet interjects.Pushing herself away from the doorframe, she walks toward her bed on the opposite side of the room, sits down, and rests her elbows on her knees.
“Yeah,” Lexie answers.“Guys like Ford?They’re all about the chase.And now that he thinks the chase is over, he might even still be interested, but he doesn’t know what to do with himself because he’s never gotten this far.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t exactly know what to do with myself either, so…”
“So, keep toying with him,” she suggests.“Send him a sexy photo.Ignore him.Flirt with other guys.Give him a reason to chase, and do it so well he won’t be able to resist.”
I rub my lips together, considering her suggestion.As a whole, it’s not a bad idea.The thing is, I’m not a tease.I’m not even really a girl guys chase after.I’m just…me, in all my sourdough baking, dental cleaning glory.And the idea of stepping into any other persona is daunting, to say the least.“I don’t know,” I murmur.
“Come on, you can totally do it.”Lexie bumps her shoulder with mine.“You just need to…I don’t know?Push yourself out of your comfort zone a little bit.”
Peeking up at her, I offer, “You mean, channel my inner Lexie?”
Violet laughs across from us.“Maybe like, level one Lexie,” she suggests.“But not too much.”
“Hey—” Lexie starts.
“Calm your boobs,” Violet tells her.“All I’m saying is I don’t really think it’s about the chase.I think it’s more about how Ford doesn’t know what to do with himself now that he’s caught genuine feelings for you.”
Feelings?For me?
We are talking about the same Ford, right?
Looking down at my hands, I pick at my cuticles, unsure what to say, let alone how to process Violet’s conclusion.“I don’t know about that,” I murmur.
“Ford has always been the most jaded when it comes to love, June,” Violet argues, “and I always knew it would take a special girl to knock him off his feet.Not saying either of you is there yet,” she adds.“But maybe he’s keeping his distance because he feels like he could get there one day, and it scares him.”
“Or maybe you’re overestimating his feelings,” I argue.
“Maybe.”Violet shrugs.“But you won’t know for sure until you see him again.”
“For now,” Lexie chimes in.“We’ll teach you how to master the art of seduction and teasing by dragging you with us to The Body Shop, so you can see it firsthand.”
Aaaand, we’re back to square one.
