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“Guess who I just talked to.”
“I don’t know… some new girl you’re dating?” I toss out.
He makes a weird face. “Um, no. Why would you think that?”
“Because you’re on the prowl?” I wave my ice-cream-laden spoon around to prove my point, but the frozen treat slides off it and lands onto my lap. “Eww.” I grab a tissue from my bedside table and wipe the spot off my lap.
“Did you just spill ice cream on yourself?” Ronnie teases.
“Yes. Don’t make fun of me.”
“You really are pitiful. If you want Langston so bad, then why don’t you just date him already?”
“Um, who are you and what have you done with my brother?” I throw the clump of tissue with the soggy glob of ice cream into the trash by my bed. It’s filled with crumpled up cans of soda and dark chocolate wrappers. It’s a good thing Ronnie is on the phone and not in person because he would definitely judge me right now.
“I just came home from Amanda’s new place.”
“Youwhat?” I toss my spoon into my ice cream carton and set it on my bedside table.
“You heard me.”
“What were you doing over there? That is literally the last place I would expect you to be.”
“Why?”
“You know what? It kind of does make sense. You were into her back in the day, weren’t you? That’s what you and Langston are always fighting about. So did you put the moves on her? She is alone tonight since Hayden is over at Langston’s. Did you kiss her or what?”
He laughs. “No, nothing like that. I was horribly rejected, in fact. But a man can try, can’t he?”
“No offense, but that’s a relief. You dating Amanda would be way too weird. Think of the custody situation Hayden would be in.” I pause for a minute. “Wait a second. Why were you even trying that? Didn’t you think of how messed up that would be?”
He shrugs. “When you like someone, you like them. People have done crazier things.”
“Are you going to get yourself some ice cream now?”
He laughs. “Naw, I’m good. But I did want to talk to you about something.”
“And that is?” I grab my ice cream again and settle in. This could go either way, good or bad, but whatever he’s about to say is big. I can feel it in my bones.
“Amanda and I had a long talk about the past. She explained that she never knew I liked her back then, but even if she had, she wouldn’t have been interested.”
“Ouch!”
“I know. She said she just didn’t feel a spark. Apparently, she still doesn’t. And she’s definitely not into rich men. Or dating, for that matter.”
“The dating thing I can understand. She is sick, after all.”
“Hey, sick people get into relationships all the time. There are some good movies out there with that same plot,” Ronnie says.
“But did you really want to get into a relationship with someone as sick as Amanda?”
“I mostly wanted closure. Answers. And I wanted to stop being angry with Langston. There was unfinished business to address.”
“Does this mean you’ll give your blessing if Langston and I get back together?” I dig around in the bottom of my ice cream container but then frown when I discover it’s empty. No wonder I’m so bloated. That was probably as many calories as a meal at a fast-food place. And I’ve already eaten take out tonight.
“Are you saying you’re considering it?” Ronnie seems surprised. “I thought you’d told him there was no way to fix it.”
“I did tell him that.”