Page 47 of Just Another Meet Cute

“Guys suck,” I announced, flopping onto the bed so hard that Linh bounced twice.

“Yep, they sure do.” Without looking up from her phone, she held out her hand and I automatically gave her a high five.

Despite how depressed and annoyed I was, I was so glad to be home. And double glad that no one but Linh was here to witness my embarrassment.

After I talked to Aunt Sarah at the office, I rushed to pack my things to move back. Mom and Dad opted to stay in the hotel for another day or two. They said they wanted some alone time—eww—but I honestly think that they wanted to give Aunt Sarah a little more space.

Or maybe Mom and Dad really did want some alone time.

Again, eww .

Then again, it must be nice to have the person you love want to be with you and love you back. Not kiss you senseless and leave you. Not like—

Linh leaned forward and pointed at me until the tip of her nail touched my nose. “You’re NOT allowed to cry over him.”

“I’m not.”

“Seriously.”

“I’m serious.”

“Then why are your eyes leaking?”

My hands flew up to my face and I wiped away two tiny tears at the corner of my eyes that I didn’t even notice were there. As soon as they were gone though, two more appeared against my will.

“I don’t understand why you’re sitting here crying.

” With a scowl, she crossed her arms and glared at me.

“You’re not a crying-over-some-guy-and-staring-into-space type of girl.

You hardly ever cry. Remember Nancy, that girl in elementary school who bullied you into giving her your lunch money?

When she tried to make you cry, you kicked her so that she would cry first.”

I sniffed. “Are you suggesting that I kick Ian’s ass until he cries, too?”

“If you don’t, then I will.”

As the image of Linh attacking Ian popped into my head, I couldn’t help giggling a little through my tears.

“Well, I’m allowed to be a little sad. The first guy I’ve ever been in love with rejected me.

Who I’m still in love with, even now, when I’m heartbroken.

” Just saying the words out loud made my eyes well up with more tears.

Seriously, I was like a faucet with a broken handle. “Damn it!”

With her eyes widening, since she’s never seen me like this before, Linh shoved a couple of tissues into my hands. “Okay, okay, let’s talk about something else for a minute. Did I tell you that I’m going to the mall with Ollie tomorrow?”

That instantly got my attention. “As a date?”

“What? No, as friends.”

I played with the soft fringe of her blanket. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I don’t know if you noticed, but Ollie sort of …”

“Has a crush on me? Yeah, we talked about that.” She pursed her lips together and tapped her index finger against the bottom one. “Although, I guess it’s had a crush, since it’s all in the past now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep. That’s why we’re going to the mall,” Linh said with a smirk.

“I’m going to give him tips on how to get a girlfriend, and he’s going to help me carry the new cast-iron pots from Williams-Sonoma to the car.

The truffle flatbread was such a hit that Ms. Susan ordered a tray for her sister’s baby shower. And she paid ahead of time.”

Sitting up, I wrapped an arm around her for a half hug. “Nice! So, you’re going to start catering on the side now? Along with everything else you’re doing?”

She shrugged. “Probably. It’ll look good on my internship application. I’ll just have to make it work.”

It’s funny, but I expected to feel the usual twinge of jealousy whenever Linh talked about cooking, yet after the talk with Dad, now all I felt was pride. My cousin was kicking butt as she chased her dream. And now she had a new friend to cheer her on along with me.

Speaking of Ollie, it must be nice to be able to erase your feelings so easily. No matter what I did or who I was with, the last conversation with Ian danced in the back of my mind. I finally understood what Linh meant when she said that I had never been in love before.

But whoever said that it’s better to have loved and lost than never loved at all was a freaking idiot.

Seeing the tears in my eyes again, Linh quickly changed the subject again. “Are you excited about seeing the house with your parents tomorrow?”

Letting out a deep breath to steady my emotions, I nodded. “It looks nice from the pictures that Mom showed me online. Hopefully a new place will help us start over.”

“It’s kind of ironic how you have to move back home in order to start over.” Linh leaned her head against my shoulder, even though she had to hunch her back to reach me. “I’m glad to have you guys here again. I’ve missed you.”

My cheek pressed against the top of her head. The strands that escaped her bun tickled my nose, making me forget about my problems for a minute. “I’m excited to be home, too. Hopefully Aunt Sarah feels the same way.”

“Oh, she definitely does. The other day at dinner, she started to say something bad about your dad, but then she stopped herself and changed the subject. Twice.”

I let out a low whistle. “I guess miracles can happen.”

“I know, right?” She chewed on her lower lip. “What are you going to do about Ryan?”

“I know I have to talk to him, and I will.” I swallowed at the lump in my throat that appeared every time I thought about Ryan.

My heartbreak may be Ian’s fault, but Ryan didn’t do anything wrong.

And just the thought of hurting him made me feel worse, if that was even possible.

“It’s the right thing to do, but right now, I just—I don’t know if I can just yet. ”

“Then don’t.” Suddenly straightening up, Linh grabbed both of my hands and dragged me off the bed. “Come on. We’re going to watch some TV in the living room until you’re so tired that you won’t even have the energy to cry anymore.”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to watch a rom-com or one of those Hallmark movies …”

“Who said we’re going to watch those? We’re going to watch an entire season of Law & Order until your little love life will seem like minor first-world problems compared to what they’re dealing with.”

Weird as her plan was, it did sound kind of nice. If there was anything to get my mind off my sad love life, it would be criminal trials and murders. Especially when Linh tossed in an unopened package of Girl Scout Thin Mints that she was saving for a Super Special Emergency.

Heartbreak definitely qualified on that list.

We were barely through the theme song of the first episode when Linh leaned closer to me. “So, I have to ask just this once: Do they kiss the same?”

I dropped the half-eaten Thin Mint onto my lap. “Linh!”

“What? It’s not every day that I could ask someone this.

You’re the only person I know who’s dated brothers.

Not to mention twins .” She made a face like she smelled something bad.

“Was it weird? It had to be weird. I mean, they have the same face. The same lips. You’re basically kissing the same guy. ”

My left eyebrow rose. “I thought we were supposed to be getting my mind off Ian?”

Nodding, she snuggled into her blanket. “You’re right. I’ll ask at another time when the pain isn’t as fresh.”

If that would ever happen.

With a sigh, I pulled my own blanket up to my shoulders and curled up against the arm of the couch. There was a dead girl in the park and the police were gathering up the suspects, but I couldn’t concentrate on anything but Linh’s question.

It should have been weird, but it wasn’t. Maybe because I stopped thinking of them as twins a long time ago. To me, they were two different people. Ryan was the perfect guy in practically every way.

But I didn’t need perfect. I just wanted someone who understood me.

Who made me want to take risks and be something more.

Do more with my life. And that was Ian, without counting his kiss.

Ian’s kisses were like something in the movies, where music played in the background and flower petals fell in slow motion and time practically stopped until it was only the two of us.

Like we were the only ones who mattered.

Or at least that’s how I felt.

Moving slowly so Linh wouldn’t notice, I used the edge of my blanket to dab at the fresh tears that suddenly slid down my cheeks again.

Even if my little love life was a minor first-world problem, it still sucked.