Page 21 of I Love a Good Challenge

She pauses briefly to look over her shoulder. Her eyes focus on my throat and not my eyes. I’ve noticed that’s been her thing since I moved to Birch Borough—she barely makes eye contact with me. It drives me mad. I feel as though she doesn’t see me anymore because she never really looks at me. But I also know that to have any hope of getting over her, I need to learn how to avoid letting her actions affect me.

“Oh, by the way, are you bringing a plus-one?” she asks casually.

That stops me in my tracks.

“What?” I sputter. Amidst all the wedding thoughts and plans, I didn’t even think or ask whether I should find a date. “Are you?” is my brilliant response back. It feels like the outdoor thermostat just got kicked up one hundred degrees.

“I was . . . thinking about it,” she replies, acting as though her words didn’t just punch me in the gut. It hurts because this is all we are to each other now: slightly hostile, barely speaking, not friends, and two people who could’ve been in love. Instead, it feels like we have both been thrown into an arena, trying to see who will survive.

“Who are you bringing?” I ask as casually as I can, as if the mere idea of Lily with someone else isn’t causing a train wreck of emotions in my mind.

“I might ask Edgar . . . We used to . . . He kind of . . . The person who—” She stops and starts a few times.

“Owns the boxing place, yes,” I finish for her, my heart humming to a different beat than usual. My worst fears are confirmed. The only reason I don’t start dry heaving is the words used to.

I’ve seen Edgar around town. I knew who he was when Lily mentioned him. Tall with dark hair and eyes and a strength that is clear in every step he takes. He has tattoos on his forearms and a necklace that I haven't seen a man brave enough to wear since the early 2000s. I may hate the choice, but I respect it. At least I know he'll get some of Lily's random pop culture references.

When we reach the café, I break my stride, pausing to hover outside of the door.

“What are you doing?” Lily hisses.

“I’m not allowed in here.” It feels ridiculous to say, but she knows I’ve always respected the boundaries she put in place.

“Oh.” She peeks up at the sign and then at the door, seeming to come quickly to a resolution. “I need help. You can help. It’s fine.”

“So, does that mean I can get coffee here now?” A grin escapes me because I know that as we’re figuring out how to be near each other again, this is her safe space. And her letting me in—and thus, letting me back in, in a way—is a big deal.

“Don’t push it.” Lily throws the door open, and I catch it before it shuts in my face.

As we enter the bakery, Lily rushes to the back counter, opens a cabinet, chucks her basket at me, and hastily begins to throw more chocolate bunnies toward it. By the time I reach her side, I immediately recognize the mayhem. Inside the cabinet are beautiful, handcrafted chocolates thrown over, under, and tossed aside haphazardly.

Lightly, I laugh as Lily tosses them over her shoulders, clearly expecting me to catch them without even making eye contact. I’m in the zone of catching them and storing them safely in the basket, so it takes me a minute to realize that the atmosphere in the bakery has shifted and what must be the normal hustle and bustle has quieted.

I look around while Lily mumbles under her breath and the espresso machine hums. I catch Sparrow’s wide eyes staring in our direction. I think I detect a bit of hope in her gaze, but it must be because she still doesn’t know what Lily and I once had is now only a relic of heartache. I scratch the back of my neck and meet the eyes of several customers. Everyone has stopped enjoying their croissants and coffees to take in the sight of Lily and me, as if the sight of us together is something to get used to.

While my fragile hope feels foolish now, I once wished this was a sight Birch Borough would see all the time. And the reality that she’s been seen with another man, even for a short time, hits me in my gut. We’ve both tried to move on. However, I never lasted more than a few dates, while Lily may have had a whole other fulfilling relationship between now and the last time I saw her. Even if she isn’t with someone presently, I realize I’m standing in the space where she has, no doubt, had crushes throughout the years. Other guys have taken her on dates on these very streets. Birch Borough is the very place where she has been hurt by immature boys, but it’s also where she has dreamed of settling down.

I knew I wasn’t the first guy in her life, but I wanted to be the last. The thought of letting that dream go again is harder to fathom now that I’m in her hometown.

Embarrassment creeps in at the idea that people may think I’m the one to blame for this scenario. All at once, I know what I have to do. I don’t know if it’s her challenge to me or the feeling of knowing I’m finally standing in the place that Lily calls her second home, but I’m done.

In the middle of the café, with townspeople listening all around, I do something that is the painful equivalent of kicking myself where it hurts. “Lily, it’s a challenge,” I say, determination in my voice.

“What?” she says over her shoulder in an exasperated tone. She turns to face me, suddenly recognizing how quiet the shop has become.

I do not doubt that my jaw is set like iron. “I’m adding another challenge. You seem to like those.”

Her eyes, once disarmed, now flash. She is annoyed, and I’m the cause. Again.

“You can’t do that. But if you’re going to insist, George, just spit it out. Or let’s go because I don’t have time for this. I have bunnies to throw at kids, for crying out loud. Easter is upon us!” She motions impatiently for me to continue.

“Bring a plus-one.”

Her hands grip the counter behind her tightly. She narrows her eyes and takes a deep breath. “Fine.”

“Fine,” I reply.

“All of this is fine!” Sparrow says lightly. We turn toward her, the sounds of a café coming back to life reverberating around us as if all is normal with the world. To be honest, her tone sounds terrified, but I’m trying to be positive.

---