Page 59 of Reverse Pass

“I’d be down.”

“I’ll find a place and make a reservation,” Mackenzie offers.

“Yeah, just don’t forget to tell your actual boyfriend where we’re going all right?” Waylon teases her.

Mac had initially had a bit of a crush on me, before she and Waylon hooked up and forgot I existed, but he still won’t let her live it down.

“Oh hush. Anyway, were you calling for something Ben?”

“I just… needed to talk to you guys.”

“Sounds ominous,” Mackenzie hedges.

“Sounds like it’s a girl.”

I grunt.

“There’s finally a girl?” Mackenzie’s voice lights up. “Oh my god. Do we get to meet her?”

“Settle down. If he’s calling us, then somethings wrong. Right Benny?”

I grunt again.

“If this girl doesn’t see Mr. Perfect Man right in front of her then I don’t think we can help him,” Mackenzie offers.

“Think about how long it took you to figure it out, darlin. What I’m more concerned about is that Dr. Love can’t figure out how to hook a girl. I’ve only heard of that happening once in his whole career.”

“Once is all it takes,” I mutter.

“Oh shit. It’s THE girl?” I can practically hear Waylon sitting up straight.

“Wait, there’s a THE girl? How do I not know about this?”

“Cause it would have broken your little heart, and I needed that part of you intact.”

“Aww, Waylon.” I hear her kiss him through the line.

“Do you guys want to get a room, and I can call you back?”

“NO!” They both say in unison.

“Tell me what’s going on. Waylon will be useless, but I might be able to help.”

“I don’t even know where to start…”

“Try the beginning,” Mackenzie suggests.

So I start telling them the whole story, leaving out most of the salacious details.

“So just to be clear, the last time you saw each other, her quasi ex was slut shaming her for sleeping with you, and you had another girl with you who spent the night in your room?”

“Who I didn’t hookup with.”

“But she doesn’t know that.”

“Correct.”

“Well first of all, this girl needs a friend to tell her to wake up. If she doesn’t have one, I’m happy to volunteer. Second, do not listen to a word that asshole said to you. He’s scared of losing her, and he’s going to say and do anything to keep her, now that he realizes he made a huge mistake in the first place. Same shit Ezra did.”