Page 80 of Crashing into Love

“She thought you were going to say no.”

“Or, tell her that I’m straight.”

“Selma… You still haven’t told that woman that you’re also attracted to women?”

“No. But there hasn’t been a moment.”

“You’re trying to tell me that there hasn’t been a single moment since you got there that you couldn’t throw out a mention of the fact that not only are you attracted to women, but that you’re attracted to one, specifically? Her. You like her.”

“Okay… There has been a moment, but I chickened out. I thought I could tell her at dinner the night we got here, but we ended up in a super busy place where all the other boarders were, and we sat at a table with some of them, including her ex-girlfriend, whom, I’m pretty sure, she’s with right now.”

“She’s with her ex-girlfriend right now?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. It got weird. She asked me, and I froze. Her ex came in second today, and she walked over to us. She talked to Drew earlier today, and I thought she was maybe asking Drew for another chance or something, but then Drew asked me out, so that seems unlikely. What if Drew is upset with me now, though, and Andy does want her back? What if they’re in Drew’s room right now, and Drew’s about to do something with her?”

“I doubt that’s going to happen. She doesn’t seem the type.”

“I know. But, Grandma, what if I just ruined it? What if I wasted my chance because I couldn’t answer her?”

“Why can’t you answer her now?”

“I don’t know where she is.”

“You just said she was in her room.”

“No, I said she could be in her room. She won today, so she’s probably on the podium now or just getting off it. I don’t know. She might be on her way back. We headed back to the hotel together every night since we got here, but she told me she’d find me later, which felt like a brush-off, so I just left.”

“Oh, honey… I think you’ve gotten yourself a little mixed up and probably just need to talk to her.”

“And tell her what?”

“Well, yes, obviously. You do want to go out with her, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Then, you tell her that she just took you by surprise earlier, and you wanted to say yes but were caught off guard. You tell her that you’d like to go out on a date with her because, yes, you are attracted to women and her, specifically. And if she still says that she wants to go out – which, I’m sure, she will – you go out on that date.”

“When?”

“Huh?”

“When? Tonight is our last night here. I won’t see her again until the next event. I so did not expect this. Maybe I should’ve, after all the time we’ve spent together this week and how good it’s felt… But now, it’s a possibility, and I don’t know what to do because I live in one place, and she lives in another.”

“You’ll worry about that later. For now, you need to message her and tell her yes.”

“Can I talk to Gia first? I always feel better after I talk to her.”

“Of course, you can. I’ll get her for you. And, Selma?”

“Yeah?”

“Honey, it’s going to be okay.”

“What if we go out, and she wants to do more than just kiss me at the door? I haven’t even kissed a woman yet.”

“She won’t pressure you. I can tell that about her. I told you that already. You need to be honest about what you’re ready for, and she’ll do the same. That’s how it works.”

“Okay. You’re right.”

---