Page 38 of Trial and Error

I sigh and bring my hand back and place it on my lap. “I just…” I can’t tell him what’s going on because he’ll think I’m insane. “I just don’t think this is going to work between us.”

He nods slowly. “All right, I can’t argue with that.” I smile. “Are you seeing someone else? Is this what’s brought this on?”

I don’t want to lie to him, but I can’t give him the whole truth. I’m not sure what’s going on with Elias and telling more people sounds too complicated for my liking.

“It’s complicated,” I whisper, looking up to see him looking at me with sad eyes.

Malik sighs as he leans back on the couch, both of his hands pressed against the back of his head. “Can I ask you something?” I nod. “Did you sleep with him?”

I shake my head quickly. “No.”

“You like him,” Malik comments.

“He’s a nice guy, yeah.”

“No…” he says slowly. “Bridget, you like him the way I want you to like me.”

I shake my head. “Malik, I don’t know him well enough to⁠—”

“I can see it all over your face. You blush when you talk about him and you get this little dazed look.” He looks sad as he adds, “I know that look, because it’s how you used to look at me.”

My chest aches at his admission and I want to take everything I’ve said back, but I can’t. Because I can’t lie and tell him what he wants to hear because that wouldn’t be fair of me.

It would make me a bigger liar than I already am.

“So…he’s the reason?”

“He is,” I reply.

Malik nods. “Well, we said we’d give it a try, and I guess it just didn’t work out.”

I feel my eyes begin to water as the sudden realization that I might’ve lost him dawns on me. He’s one of my best friends and the thought of not having him in my life is unimaginable.

“Hey,” Malik whispers, shifting closer to me.

His arms come around me in a protective embrace. “I’m sorry…”

Malik rests his cheek against my hair. “You have nothing to apologize for. We gave it a shot and it didn’t work…and that’s okay. Am I sad that there’s someone else? Of course I am. But I’ll love you regardless of what we are to each other. You’re not going to lose me, and you’re not going to lose this friendship.”

I sniffle. “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”

“Baby, I’ve known you for over ten years. I can read you like a book.”

“I don’t want things to change between us.”

“It won’t.”

“It will.”

Malik presses his lips to my temple. “It doesn’t have to.” He pauses. “You’re still my girl and you always will be.”

The two of us stay wrapped up in each other’s arms for a while and a massive weight feels like it’s been lifted. It’s gone better than I could’ve imagined, and honestly I couldn’t ask for a better outcome.

Malik will always have a special place in my heart, even if it is just as friends.

elias

If I could explain what the past twenty-four hours have been like with just one word, it would be: whirlwind. I went from having a fun, carefree morning with a woman I’m insanely attracted to, to a shit show. I didn’t anticipate having a bomb dropped like I did, but here we are. Confused as shit and trying my damn hardest not to cry at every chance I get.