Page 64 of Kiss Me, Maybe

“Really?”

“I understand why you’ve been holding yourself back fromromantic love of any kind.”And me, I think, but don’t dare voice aloud. “I finally get why you think you’re such a terrible person for the way your relationship ended. Isaac might never be able to forgive you for what you did, but that’s his choice.”

“I told you, Angela.” She stares down at the grass covering her feet. “I’m no good for anyone.”

“If I haven’t told you before, then I’m telling you now—I don’t believe that.” She doesn’t say anything for a long moment. “Maybe you should reach out to him. See if you can get that closure after all.”

She’s quiet as she contemplates the idea. At first I think she’s going to shake her head, tell me there’s no way she can do that. A few weeks ago, maybe she would have. “What if he turns me away?” she asks instead, voice low. “You saw how we were in there. He couldn’t even look at me.”

“Yeah, I did. He’d have every right to, I guess.” I shrug. “But just because he can’t forgive you doesn’t mean you can’t forgive yourself. In fact, I think you should. Whether he turns you away or not.”

She takes in a deep breath. After what feels like minutes, she finally nods. “Okay.”

“Okay?” I glance at her, surprised she gave in so easily.

“I’ll reach out. I’ll try. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’ll be good for us to get some kind of closure. And if it’s not the right thing for him, I’ll respect that. It’s about time I start moving forward, you know?”

“Yeah.” I’m speechless for a moment before I get my bearings back. “I’m happy for you, Krystal. I hope he hears you out.”

“Thanks.” She smiles softly. “We’ll see what happens.”

Twenty-Nine

CAPTION:

THIS EVER HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE?

@WILLWORKSOUT CLOSED CAPTIONS:Anyone else date a girl in high school who turned out to be a lesbian? I just came across her page the other night and I’ll admit, I was taken aback. But from what I can tell, she seems to be doing really well for herself. I’m happy for her, especially since I was a complete jerk when we went out. So, Angela, if you’re watching this, I’m sorry about what happened, and wishing you all the best.

COMMENTS:

@Angela:Well, this is certainly a throwback. Sorry our date was such a flop but as I’m sure you can see now, we never would’ve worked out

Replying to @Angela

@Alisha:Wait, but I thought you’ve never dated anyone before?

Replying to @Alisha

@Christine:I’m also lost here

Replying to @Alisha

@Esme:Not your lies catching up to you

Replying to @Alisha

@Angela:We went on one date our senior year and I spent the entire night on my phone. He tried to kiss me at the end of the night and accused me of leading him on, which is what I’m assuming he meant when he said he was a jerk when we went out.

Replying to @Angela

@WillWorksOut:You assumed correct. I’m really sorry about that, btw. You didn’t deserve any of that.

Replying to @WillWorksOut

@Esme:So did you two hook up or not? I’m still trying to get all my cousin’s lies straight…

Monday night after work, I return to the drawing board. Krystal was right about one thing—Fiesta would make the perfect backdrop to the scavenger hunt. After a few hours of brainstorming, I discover that there are plenty of downtown locations that would make perfect scavenger hunt locations and cut down on driving time. I’m not sure I’m totally in love with my replacement for Natalia’s art piece, but I don’t know if she’ll see me again either.