Page 32 of Love Off Script

“Will you knock it off and let me do my thing?”

“I don’t know. I guess it depends on what ‘your thing’ is,” she teased, but it was good to hear her joking, even if it was at my expense.

“Why do you have to make this awkward?” I nudged her arm.

“I’m sorry.” She bit her lower lip. “My therapist says I use humor as a coping mechanism.”

“That’s evident.” I dug my fingers harder into the tight muscles, and she let out a low moan. “Did I hurt you?”

“No. You hit the right spot.”

“That’s what she said.”

She threw herself back against me with a burst of laughter, and I couldn't resist joining in.

“This is what you need to do.” Her words caught me off guard.

“What are you talking about?”

She sat forward and looked at me. “When you’re relaxed, you lose some of your shyness, and your true personality emerges. This is how you need to interact with people. Let them see the real you.” She was done opening up and returned to my problems.

“I appreciate that. But it’s easier said than done.” I had to feel comfortable with someone to let my walls down, and even then, I still kept many things to myself out of fear of rejection.

“I get that, but we can work on it. I know you no longer want to go after Ember, but maybe there is someone else you’d be interested in?”

Since this was where the conversation had gone, I wouldn’t fight it. Besides, maybe I did still want her advice. She might have thought she was a loner, but she couldn’t deny that she was inherently a people person.

“To tell you the truth, I still like Ember.” Knowing that Caz wasn’t interested in her brought back my prior feelings. It wasn’t like they had just gone away, anyway. But it appeared safe to voice them again.

“Oh?” She seemed surprised, but not in a good way.

“Is that a problem?”

Did I read the situation wrong? Maybe Ember hit on Caz, but Caz didn’t return the sentiment like with Yoni. And maybe Caz didn’t want to tell me that because she knew it would hurt my feelings.

“No. That’s not a problem. What happened to make you change your mind?”

How honest should I be right now? I took a beat before responding but figured it was better not to lie. Caz had been nothing but understanding and patient with me, and if I misled her, how could she help me?

“I thought you had a crush on her, and I didn’t think I could compete with you, so I dropped it.”

She sat there stunned, and I wondered if I had unknowingly brought those feelings to the forefront of her mind. She covered her mouth and exhaled deeply through her nose as she shook her head. “No. Noooo. Nope. Not even a little.” She was so adamant that I thought maybe she protested too much. But then she began chuckling, which confused me.

“What’s so funny?”

“Sorry. Ember and I would never be a good match. We appear to both have forceful personalities.”

I wasn’t acquainted well enough with Ember yet, so I was curious to find out what she knew. “You think she’s like you?”

“God, no. I think she is… confident?” Her voice lilted up on the last word as if it were a question.

“Have you dug into her socials?” Where was she getting her information?

I didn’t question Ember’s confidence. She had every right to feel that way because she was striking and alluring.

“No. I have done nothing without you. I’m basing it on my interaction at the coffeehouse.”

“What did she say?” I could tell I was missing something, but I wasn’t sure if she wanted to fill me in.

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