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“Wait, that still doesn’t explain how you came to the conclusion that he’s in love with me.” I’m grasping at straws, trying my hardest to debunk Violet’s sleuthing skills.

“Liza, I’ve known him my entire life, and I’ve never seen him in love. He’sdifferentwith you. He stares at his phone and waits for messages. He drops his plans to meet up with you, and he passes up a night out at Downtown Tap if it meant seeing you.” She shows off the brightest smile as she shifts from side to side. “I should have known it was you. You’re tailor-made for him.”

“I’m not,” I blurt out before thinking.

“Why do you think that?” Emberly hops back into the conversation. “Let’s compare him to your ex for a minute because I know that’s what’s freaking you out.”

I exhale. “There’s a bench up there,” I point a few blocks ahead, “This feels like a sitting conversation.” We speed walk to the roomy metal bench and begin hashing out my past, present, and future.

“Let’s start with Layne,” Emberly leads. “How did he make you feel at the best point in your relationship?”

“He. . .” I pause, thinking this through. “He made me feel important. I was always surrounded by a group of people when I was with him.”

“What else?” Violet chirps in.

“We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. Everyone wanted to be us.” I nod.

“Anything else?” Emberly leans her elbows on her knees to meet my eyes.

“Uhhh. Not that I can think of.”

“Hart’s turn!” Violet bursts at the seams with excitement.

I have a feeling she’s already planning our wedding and future baby names in that overworked mind of hers.

“Hartley makes me laugh, even when I don’t want to. He notices little things about me that I didn’t realize.”

“Like what?” both girls ask, sitting forward.

“For the past few tutoring sessions, he brought me my go-to Starbucks order. I’ve never told him what I like or showed up to tutoring before with my drink in hand, he just notices me with it around campus.”

“One point for Hart.” Emberly holds her hand up to count. “What else?”

“He brought me to a wildflower field and said the beauty of it reminded him of me.” Heat blooms to my cheeks, so I rub my wet hands over them to cool off.

“Ugh. I’m sorry, but I’m dying inside,” Violet swoons. “Who knew Hart could be such a lover boy?”

Emberly braces my bouncing knee with her hand. “Keep going.”

“He won’t take no for an answer, despite all the times I’ve told him I’m not interested or that I just want a friendship. He hasn’t given up on me.” Betraying me right there on a campus bench, my eyes swell with moisture.Why am I getting emotional?

Emberly wraps her arms around me. “Layne abandoned you, and that’s not okay. You didn’t deserve that. No one does.” Emberly’s perceptive juju unleashes the floodgates for tears to spill down my dewy face.

Violet joins the hug and squeezes me. “Hartley won’t abandon you, Liza. You’re it for him.”

I nod, at a complete loss for words. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way? Or he gets bored and wants someone else? I’m nothing special, and I’ve seen the girls he hooks up with. They’re models.”

“Youarespecial,” Emberly says in a stoic tone. “You do everything you can for everyone around you. Let yourself be happy for once.”

She’s right. They’re both right. No matter what the long term outcome is, I owe it to myself to give this a chance. Rubbing the tears off my cheeks, I chuckle like a maniac until I have the right words to express my feelings.

“I guess I need to tell him how I feel.”

They both squeal and pull me into a double hug full of sweat, love, and acceptance. The three of us couldn’t be any more different, but our hearts are built the same.

26

Hartley