Page 98 of Mr. Brightside
“Come on,” she instructs as she pulls me through the doorway. “Let’s get inside so we can do this properly.”
I nod, then follow her into the expensive, modern apartment. I’m not two steps in the door before Penny is scurrying through the kitchen and yipping at my feet. Tori laughs at her dog’s overly enthusiastic reaction before looking back over her shoulder at me. “Looks like I’m not the only one who missed you.”
The first genuine smile I’ve felt all day breaks across my face as I crouch down to greet the pug mix. I questioned my choice to come here about a dozen times on the flight, but now that I’m here, I know this is right.
--
“I’m just so mad that I let myself believe it was real,” I bemoan for probably the tenth time. We’re splayed out on Tori and Rhett’s enormous sectional couch, our takeout containers still littered all over the coffee table.
Tori sits up straighter, leans forward, and reaches for my hand. “I hate this for you. I wasn’t sure where things stood when you showed up here today. But now I’m even more conflicted.”
“What?” I demand. “What do you mean?”
She gives me a sad smile and scrunches her nose, pausing for a minute before she answers thoughtfully.
“Do you really want to hear this?”
Ugh. Do I? I mean, I do. I desperately do. But I thought I’d at least have a few more hours to wallow before she started dishing up her signature style of pragmatic advice.
“It sounds like this relationship has taken you both by surprise. Jake isn’t the boy he used to be. He’s what I worried about most when I moved here. But when I talk to him lately, or when Rhett gives me an update… I can tell he’s changed. He’s different these days. I think he’s different because ofyou.”
She pauses and gives me a pointed look.
“Jake went from being a rowdy boy who could barely tolerate himself to being this man with so much love to give. I know you don’t want to hear this… but what if what you hadwasreal? Isstillreal?”
I swallow past a lump of emotion clogging my throat. This was so not what I expected. This is a woman who held the man she loved at arm’s length for six years. Tori’s not the hopeless romantic; I am. But if she thinks there’s hope…Dammit. I don’t want her to encourage my traitorous heart. I want her to see the sensible side of this and tell me I did the right thing by walking away.
I mindlessly scratch Penny behind the ears and consider her words. I know I’m being melodramatic. What we had was real; I feel it in the very core of my being. I know because my heart won’t let me forget it. That doesn’t mean I was wrong to walk away.
“I know what we had was real, or at least on its way there,” I admit. “But that makes it worse. I hate that it was real, and he just threw it all away.”
Tori purses her lips and studies me warily. “Did he, though?”
I narrow my eyes and assess her. Is she really taking his side in this? I’ve spent the last several hours telling her everything, multiple times. We’ve analyzed our whole relationship up, down, and sideways. How we were really falling for each other. How good things were between us. I went into thorough detail about the night he left and didn’t come home or even bother texting. I told her all about how he put me through emotional purgatory the other night when he fled, wouldn’t answer my calls, pushed me away, then stayed out all night without so much of a courtesy text to tell me he was okay.
“He did,” I insist. “He should have known I would be sitting up all night worrying, but he didn’t think of me once. I can’t play games like that, Tor. I’ve been someone’s afterthought too many times to let myself fall for it again.”
Silence thrums between us. She doesn’t agree with me—I can practically feel her dissent—but she at least has the courtesy to let me sit in my pain for a few minutes before pushing back.
“I know this might not be what you want to hear—”
“Then don’t say it,” I deadpan.
“Just let me get this out,” she pleads. “You and I are best friends, but Jake and I go way back. Let me say this, then I’ll leave it alone. I’ll support you no matter what you decide; I promise.”
I nod, resigned.
“Based on everything you told me, do you think there’s a chance he just… made a mistake? And I know, I know.” She holds up both hands for emphasis. “I know what he did was hurtful. He handled it all wrong. But given the timeline, I can’t help but wonder if he just got caught up in everything happening that night. I guarantee you Jake’s not used to being accountable to anyone. He’s spent his whole life on his own. Heshouldhave known better than to leave you in the dark all night long, especially since you’ve already gone through that situation with him before. But what if he just—forgot?”
I consider her words, letting my mind feel out that explanation. The problem is that every point she touched on sounds like a broken record of excuses that I’ve supplied for every guy I’ve ever dated. What Jake and I had was so special and exhilarating and real—and yet I’m left feeling just as forgotten, unworthy, and unimportant as I did in the past.
Tori continues. “He’s like a toddler when it comes to understanding the expectations of being a partner, Cor. I’m not saying you have to accept that behavior. But I can’t imagine Jake not actively trying to grow and improve if given the chance. That’s the thing about him: he loves hard, even if he doesn’t always get it right. I can’t help but wonder if you just need to give your relationship more time.”
I want to pick apart each statement, but at that second, Penny jumps off the spot where she was sleeping between us and barks frantically as she runs to the door. She’s going so fast she slides the last few feet, right into the waiting arms of Everhett Wheeler.
“Cory!” He beams in greeting as he rises to full height after doling out a few belly scratches. He shucks off his suit jacket and drapes it over a kitchen chair as he makes his way into the apartment. He’s wearing a light blue gingham button-down with perfectly tailored navy dress pants and an expensive-looking light brown belt. He looks every inch the part of young, hot, millennial CEO.
Rhett strides into the room, dipping his head to greet his wife with a tender kiss that has me aching with jealousy. “Hi, beautiful,” he murmurs.