Page 30 of Guys Can’t Write Romance

Chapter twenty

Balancing the View

“Let me get this straight,” Chloe said, pausing to take a swig from her water bottle. “You wanted to do karaoke, and Mr. Spreadsheet said it wasn’t ‘adult’ enough?”

“He didn’t exactly say that.” Daisy adjusted her ponytail, avoiding Chloe’s knowing look. “He just suggested that, as professionals, we should focus on more sophisticated activities.”

“Oh yeah? Like what? Comparing tax returns? Organizing his sock drawer by thread count?”

“Come on, Chloe.”

“No, really, I want to know what qualifies as ‘adult stuff’ in Ethan’s world. Because last time I checked, my credit score was excellent, and I still managed to have a dance party in my pajamas last night.”

Daisy couldn’t help but smile. “I saw your TikTok page. Nice moves.”

“Thank you. And notice how I didn’t spontaneously combust from having fun while being an adult.” Chloe did a little shimmy, nearly colliding with a passing hiker. “Oops, sorry! Just proving a point to my friend here about joy not being fatal.”

The hiker gave them both an odd look before continuing up the trail.

“Great,” Daisy muttered. “Now he probably thinks we’re crazy.”

“Better crazy than boring. Speaking of which, what exactly did Ethan substitute for the karaoke?”

Daisy sighed. “We did wine sampling at the Le Petit Jardin. Which isn’t a bad thing! It’s cultured and—”

“If you say sophisticated one more time, I’m pushing you down this hill.”

They reached a clearing, and Daisy stopped to catch her breath, looking out over the Los Angeles skyline.

The morning haze was just starting to burn off, revealing the city sprawled out below them.

“Maybe Ethan has a point, though. We’re not in college anymore.

At some point, we have to grow up, right? ”

Chloe snorted. “Okay, who are you trying to convince here? Me or yourself?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Chloe said, plopping down on a nearby rock, “that I’ve watched you spend the last few weeks actually enjoying life. You laughed so hard beer came out of your nose, for crying out loud! And now you’re back to this ‘proper adult’ nonsense?”

“It’s called stability, Chloe. Security. Having a plan.”

“No, it’s called boring yourself to death. There’s a difference between being responsible and being dead inside.” Chloe’s voice softened. “When was the last time Ethan made you laugh? Like, really laugh?”

Daisy opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again. She thought back to her recent dates with Ethan, trying to remember a moment of pure, unrestrained joy. All she could recall were polite chuckles over wine.

“Now, when was the last time Chad made you laugh?”

“This isn’t about Chad.”

“Everything’s about Chad lately. Even your book’s leading man isn’t boring anymore. Coincidence? I think not.” Chloe waggled her eyebrows. “Remember last week when he tried to teach you baseball terms?”

Despite herself, Daisy smiled at the memory. Chad had spent an hour explaining the difference between a changeup and a curveball, using French fries as props until they were too mangled to eat.

“You’re impossible,” Daisy muttered, but her cheeks flushed pink.

“I’m impossible? You’re the one trying to convince yourself that giving up karaoke is somehow a sign of maturity. News flash: you can pay your mortgage AND belt out ‘Sweet Caroline’ in public. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.”

A jogger passed them, and Daisy waited until he was out of earshot before responding. “But Ethan provides stability. He’s reliable, he’s—”

“A human sleep aid?” Chloe interrupted. “Look, being an adult doesn’t mean you have to stop doing things that make you spark. If you’re not living a life that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning, what’s the point?”

“When did you get so wise?”

“Probably around my third White Claw last night. I’m very philosophical when I’m tipsy.” Chloe stood up and stretched. “Besides, I’ve seen how you are around Chad. You light up. And don’t think I haven’t noticed how your perfect little color-coded planner has gotten a lot messier lately.”

“That’s because he’s constantly disrupting my schedule with his random writing sessions!”

“And yet you keep showing up.” Chloe gave her a pointed look. “Face it, babe. Chad McKenzie is squatting in your subconscious rent-free.”

They continued up the trail, passing a group of tourists taking selfies with the Hollywood sign in the background.

Daisy’s mind wandered to the night before, at how she had wanted to ask Ethan one more time if they could go back to the karaoke bar after dinner, but had stopped herself, knowing he’d dismiss it.

With Chad, she wouldn’t have hesitated. With Chad, she didn’t feel the need to edit herself.

“You know what the worst part is?” Chloe said, interrupting her thoughts. “You’re not just dimming your own light to fit Ethan’s idea of adulthood. You’re starting to believe that’s all you deserve.”

“That’s not true,” Daisy protested, but her voice lacked conviction.

“Oh yeah? Then why are you trying so hard to convince yourself that being bored is the same thing as being grown-up?”

As they reached the summit, Daisy took in the panoramic view of Los Angeles.

Somewhere down there, Ethan was probably already at his desk, planning their perfectly proper future.

And somewhere else, Chad was probably out for his morning surf with Rhino, or maybe jotting down story ideas on whatever scrap of paper he could find.

“Now, can we please finish this hike?” Chloe said, adjusting her neon headband. “I have a pottery class to teach, and unlike some people, I plan to act very immature while doing my very adult job.”

As they started their descent, Daisy couldn’t shake the feeling that her best friend might be right. The thought scared her more than she wanted to admit.

“Just promise me one thing,” Chloe said as they neared the bottom of the trail.

“What’s that?”

“When you finally admit I’m right about all this, I get to say ‘I told you so’ at your wedding to Chad.”

“Chloe!”

“What? I’m just planning ahead. Isn’t that what adults do?”

Back at their apartment, Daisy soaked in the shower, letting the warm water wash away the soreness from her muscles; but it did nothing to quiet her thoughts.

The hike had been physically demanding, but Chloe’s words had been even more exhausting.

They’d rattled around in her head the entire way down the trail, refusing to be ignored.

You can pay your mortgage AND belt out ‘Sweet Caroline’ in public.

If you’re not living a life that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning, what’s the point?

As she climbed from the shower and wrapped in a robe, she heard her phone buzz on her dresser. She walked over and saw it was a text from Ethan:

‘Would like to take you somewhere special tonight. Pick you up at 7:00? I have some big news I know you’ve been waiting for.’

Daisy’s heart stuttered. Big news? Her damp fingers trembled slightly as she read the message again. And again. Each time, those two words seemed to grow larger, more significant.

“Chloe?” she called out, her voice higher than usual. “Are you still here?”

“In the kitchen!” Chloe shouted back. “Making my post-workout smoothie. Want one? It’s got kale, which makes it very adult and sophisticated.”

Daisy padded into the kitchen, still in her robe, holding her phone out like it might bite her. “Ethan just texted.”

“Did he schedule a thrilling evening of organizing his tax receipts?”

“No, he...” Daisy swallowed hard. “He says he has ‘big news’ and wants to take me somewhere special tonight.”

Chloe’s hand froze on the blender. “Big news? Like...”

“Like maybe a ring?” Daisy’s voice cracked slightly.

“You think?”

“I don’t know.”

They stood in silence for a moment, the only sound being the steady drip of water from Daisy’s wet hair onto the kitchen floor.

“Can I ask you something?” Chloe said finally, her usual playful tone replaced with genuine concern. “And I need you to really think about it before you answer.”

“What?”

“Do you want that to be the big news?”

Daisy opened her mouth to say ‘of course,’ but the words wouldn’t come. Just an hour ago, they’d been talking about spark and joy and not dimming your own light. About karaoke and beer coming out of her nose and messy planners and...

And Chad.

Chad, who wrote horror stories on napkins, yet melted her heart when she watched him coach his team.

Chad, who thought a door balanced on milk crates was a proper table, yet made her laugh till her side ached.

Chad, who hung his clothes on furniture, yet wouldn’t have made her feel small for wanting to sing karaoke or watch the baseball game.

In fact, he would have been right there with her.

“I...” Daisy sank into one of the kitchen chairs. “I don’t know.”

“I think maybe you do know,” Chloe said gently. “You’re just scared to admit it.”

Daisy stared at her phone, at Ethan’s perfectly punctuated text message. Everything about it was proper and planned, just like him. Just like the life he was offering. Just like the life she’d always thought she wanted.

The life that now felt like a beautifully wrapped package with nothing inside.

“What do I do?” she whispered.

Chloe abandoned her smoothie-making and sat down across from her. “Well, first, you put on some clothes. Then, you text him back and say yes to dinner. Because whether it’s a proposal or not, you need to figure out what you actually want, not what you think you’re supposed to want.”

“But what if what I want is wrong?”

“Wrong according to who? Your five-year plan? The universe doesn’t care about your color-coded calendar, babe.”

Daisy nodded slowly, then looked up at her friend with damp eyes. “When did everything get so complicated?”

“Around the time a certain P.E. teacher started making you laugh so hard beverages came out your nose.” Chloe reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “For what it’s worth, I think complicated is better than boring. Boring is safe, but it’s also dead. Complicated means you’re alive.”

“Even if it’s terrifying?”

“Especially if it’s terrifying.” Chloe stood up and returned to her smoothie preparation. “Now go get dressed. And maybe we should start drinking early today, just in case?”

Despite her churning emotions, Daisy managed a small laugh. “That doesn’t sound very adult.”

“Good,” Chloe said with a wink. “That’s exactly what you need right now.”

Daisy started toward her room, then paused. “Chloe?”

“Yeah?”

“What if I make the wrong choice?”

Chloe looked up from her blender. “The only wrong choice is picking the life you think you should want instead of the one that makes your heart race.”

As Daisy headed to her room to get dressed, she glanced at her phone one more time. The ‘big news’ text stared back at her, and for the first time, instead of feeling excited about what it might mean, she felt something else entirely:

Dread.

And maybe, just maybe, a little relief.

She typed out a quick response to Ethan: ‘Sounds great. See you at 7.’

Then she opened her text thread with Chad.

His last text came in at around 1:30 am that morning.

He’d been up writing, and couldn’t wait to share his latest story ideas with her.

As she scrolled through the texts, she saw that she’d sent similar texts to him several times.

He was the first person she thought of when an idea hit, and she was the same for him.

It was an important part of her life they shared; and one of that Ethan wanted no part of.

She quickly texted back:

‘Can’t wait to hear it!’

She knew it was the same text Chad would have sent her. And like her, he would have meant it.