I let out a long sigh as I turn the key in the lock, figuring I can kill a few minutes before hightailing it to Julian’s apartment downstairs. No need for Nathaniel to figure out my complication lives downstairs from me. Only I nearly have a heart attack when I spot my sister and Bella on the couch. They’ve already opened the boxed wine and filled their glasses, twin expectant looks staring up at me as I throw my keys and purse onto the counter.
“You told Elena?” I shoot an accusing glare at my best friend. “God, Bella.”
“Why are you still dating other people when you’re with Julian?” Elena asks when I open my mouth. “And don’t bother denying it. According to Bella, you’ve spent nearly every night this week downstairs.”
“We made a deal to explore our options before becoming exclusive,” I explain, and it all sounds so reasonable despite being anything but. “And I think he’s dating someone else too.”
“And you’re okay with this?” Elena crosses her arms over her chest. “How many people is he seeing? How many people areyou?”
“This is my second date this weekend, and he’s seeing this mystery person Andrew says he’s in love with,” I tell her, my stomach souring at the thought because I still don’t know when his date with them is supposed to be.
“What mystery person?” Bella asks. “You didn’t tell me about this.”
“Andrew slipped up on his birthday after getting super drunk before their fight,” I explain. “Apparently, Julian told him about someone he’s in love with. Not that he ever once bothered to tell me about it all this time we’ve been working on my dating accounts together. Stupid me, here I thought we were supposed to be friends.”
They exchange a glance.
“What?” I ask when neither of them says what they’re thinking. “Hello, I’m dying over here. What’s with the look?”
“Have you ever considered,” Bella begins, “that this mystery person might beyou?”
“Okay, I think you’ve had one too many of these.” I reach over the coffee table and grab her full glass of wine. Then I take a sip. “I’m afraid to ask, but what could have possibly brought both of you to the same conclusion at the same time?”
“Andrew wouldn’t have known Julian was talking about you because you convinced him to keep your friendship under wraps,” Elena explains. “But what if Julian figured out a way to tell himsomething? Plus, you both work at the same school and hang out all the time. Wouldn’t you know immediately who this person was if it wasn’t you?”
“Besides, I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” Bella says. “There’s no way he could be in love with someone else.”
“You’re not serious.” I pace the length of the living room, fully freaking out now. “Okay, maybe it’s true that a small part of me wanted to be the person Andrew meant, but come on. He used words likeloveandsoulmate. It’s way too soon for Julian to feel that way about me, especially when he was the one who came up with the dating app takeover in the first place.”
“Too soon for you maybe,” Bella says. “But maybe not for him.”
“You are so not gonna wanna hear this, but when it comes to romantic feelings, your pace is about as glacial as Andrew’s.”
The scoff I let loose is rife with betrayal, which only makes Elena laugh in my face.
“What are you saying?” I ask her. “That he’s hiding the fact that he’s been in love with me this entire time and thinks I could be it for him or something? Isn’t that a little much?”
“I don’t know, is hiding a secret friendship from your entire family a little much?” Bella shares a smirk with my sister. “Y’know, maybe y’all are soulmates.”
“This isn’t funny!” Before I can do any more yelling, my phone vibrates with a text. “It’s Julian,” I say after reading the message on my lock screen. “I was supposed to meet him after my date with Nathaniel. He thinks I’m still on it.”
“Not you letting your soulmate sweat it out.” Bella’s amusement does nothing to lessen the storm raging in my brain. She makes room on the couch. “Sit down. We’re not through yet.”
“How could there possibly be any more?” I do as she says, though, plopping myself down between them.
“You haven’t told us how you feel about Julian yet,” Elena says.
“I don’t know.” I squirm in my seat, because it’s such an obvious lie they both see through it immediately. “To be honest, we really haven’t discussed feelings very much. The most he’s ever said was the night he got back from the hospital, but I’m not holding him to any of it. The man was fresh off a head injury. He could barely tell me what day it was at one point.”
“What did he say?” Bella asks. “And don’t think we didn’t notice you bypass the question entirely. We’re circling right back to you in a little bit.”
If I told you how I felt about you now, you wouldn’t believe me. You’d blame it on this stupid concussion, wouldn’t you? Anything to avoid the truth staring you straight in the face. Isn’t that right, Leticia?
“Just stuff.” My voice is too high to be believable. My god, how did I not see it until now? I jump off the couch again. “I have to go.”
I ignore their protests as I leave my purse and keys behind and practically sprint through the front door.
I’m pacing outside Julian’s door, his words from the other night reverberating back to me in an unceasing echo that refuses to stop. Twice, I raise my hand to knock on his front door before thinking better of it. Twice, I reach for my phone to let him know I won’t be coming tonight after all before hitting the backspace button.I’ve been out here for fifteen minutes, and I still can’t make up my mind.
