Page 6 of Forever Love-Reimagined

“Hey. I’m not judging you. I know when you get something in your head, you sometimes overreact. I’m here to be your voice of reason.” He cocked a crooked smile, and I had to laugh. Ty was anything but reasonable.

“Excuse me. You are a fine one to be talking about overreacting. How many times have you broken up with someone because you didn’t like the way his eyebrows looked?” I gave him a questioning gaze.

“First off, that only happened once, and it wasn’t how his eyebrows looked. It was the fact that he only had one. And besides, I’m starting to get serious with someone who has the perfect face and body, and he makes me…” He shivered like he was getting full-body tingles, and I tried to push that thought from my head.

“Oh, really? I’ve heard this before. I’ll give it two weeks.” I wasn’t trying to jinx him, but he was finicky, especially with men.

“You’re wrong. David is the one. He ticks all my boxes and then some.”

“I’m going to stop you right there. I’m happy for you if he’s different. And when I meet him, I’ll be able to tell for myself.” It wasn’t me being skeptical, but sometimes new love made it hard to see clearly, and I wanted to protect Ty.

He was more than my best friend. He was my family. We had been friends since we were 13, and he was the only person who understood how volatile my parents were.

“I’d trust you to pick a man as much as I’d trust a blindfolded pilot to land a plane.”

“You hush. I’m not picking him. I’m vetting him. I have to ensure he’s good enough for my baby brother from another mother.” I patted his cheeks, and he growled.

I was only a couple of months older than him, but I was wiser for the most part.

“Unlike you, I don’t need anyone’s input. I can figure things out on my own.” He snorted, and I hated that he was right; I did want his advice.

“For the record, I don’t need you, either,” I lied, and he saw right through it.

“Okay. But I’m going to tell you what to do anyway. You need to take Steph to lunch and talk to her. Not solely regarding the upcoming party but also concerning the future. You can’t let things eat at you, or the relationship will implode whether you want it to or not.”

As much as I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of being right, he was. “We’ll see. What’s my schedule like the rest of the day?”

He scrolled through his phone and filled me in on my meetings, most of which could be phone calls or emails. “Basically, you have nothing keeping you in the office right now. So, don’t use your workaholic nature as an excuse, and go talk to your girlfriend.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not the boss of me. But can you see if I can get a reservation at Perch? Outdoor seating is fine. I’ll give her a call and make sure she can make it.”

“You got it. But if she can’t be there, that means I get to go.” He rubbed his stomach because fine dining was his love language.

“You could always go for me.” I winked before he headed toward his desk.

His laughter echoed as he walked away. But I worried that this day might get worse before it got better.

Chapter Four

Blake - Monday

The waiter at the upscale cafe looked at us expectantly. “Have you ladies decided what you want to order?”

“Yeah, I’ll have the grilled chicken and steamed vegetables, please.” I didn’t have to look at the menu. I ordered the same thing every time.

“Why are you so strict all the time? Why don’t you order something with flavor?” Steph’s tone seemed annoyed by my predictability.

But I’d always been a disciplined eater because my mom had an idea of what was attractive and that was skinny. Therefore, one way I could earn her love was to look the way she wanted me to. When I was ten, she put me on a “cleanse” because she heard it would make me lose weight. Even though I’d never be thin, I prided myself on being healthy… now.

I would always be selective about what I ate. But I never questioned anyone else about their choices, so I wasn’t sure why she cared about mine.

“I stick with what I like. Is it a problem?” This lunch was supposed to be a time to discuss our future, but it bordered on the beginning of a fight.

“It’s not a problem. But why do you come to a place like this and order something so bland? It’s like sightseeing while wearing a blindfold.”

My anger scratched at the surface. Why did I need to defend my lunch choices? There was no point in this conversation. Except for making me believe I was right and we were headed in different directions.

“And for you, miss?” The waiter interrupted, which I was thankful for, so I could compose myself before speaking.

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