Page 85 of Unbelievable You

I was breathing hard after I hit Send, like I’d been running while I typed everything that had been going through my head.

Whoa, Jesus Hunter. She’s just asking you to meet her family. Not get married. I think you need to slow your roll and stop writing doomfiction Cade sent.

Ohhh, doomfiction. I like that. But Cade’s right. I think you’re trying to sabotage this in your mind because you’re scared. That’s what your relationship rules are all about. You’re just scared to trust someone and there’s a chance you might get hurt Reid added.

There wasn’t a chance that I’d get hurt. There was a certainty.

I can’t make you understand I sent.

Listen. I know that your parents have fucked you up, because I know mine have fucked me up, but I feel like you’ve got to give yourself a chance Reid responded.

Since when did you become so pro-relationship? I asked.

You know deep down, DEEP down, under all my bitch layers beats the heart of a romantic. I will deny this if you tell anyone else. But. You like her. And she really likes you. I haven’t met her, but I can tell from what you’ve told me. It could blow up in your face. But wouldn’t you like to at least try and see where it goes before you assume the worst-case scenario? There IS a chance that you could end up living happily ever after.

Reid’s words made me roll my eyes. My friends absolutely didn’t get me. I argued with them for a little bit longer, but I really needed to get ready if I was going to do this. I hadn’t decided if I was actually going to show up. Even if I didn’t go, I was still going to get ready in case.

That meant picking out something to wear that would impress Stace’s parents. And fixing my hair. Heatless waves weren’t an option, so I did a few small braids and then pulled them back, twisting two bunches of hair together into something that looked like a braid. It was cute and kept my hair back and people always gave me compliments on this style.

I picked out a dress and then thought that looked a little too formal, but I didn’t want to be too casual either. And I definitely didn’t want to wear anything that I would wear if I was seeing my parents.

Yoga pants weren’t going to work either.

Eventually I settled on a pair of jeans and a baby-soft sweater with a heart embroidered on it in pink that made me think of the pancakes she’d made this morning. Casual, but not too casual.

I did a simple soft makeup look, sticking with mostly pinks that worked with my skin tone. I couldn’t look like I was trying too hard. Stace’s parents might not notice, but Stace would see extra effort and she’d read too much into it.

Stace sent me the address of the restaurant. It was a chain place that I was familiar with that also had games for kids. Cute. I bet she was going to get competitive with her little brothers. Bet she’d let them win to make them happy.

I still had at least thirty minutes before I had to leave, and I was still on the fence about going.

Could I do this? Stace had sent me a few messages as if in anticipation of my reluctance, saying that she’d told her parents we were just friends and had asked them to be cool.

I didn’t believe her for a second, considering the time her mom had sent her little brother to spy on us and report back. That didn’t speak to a woman who was going to look at me and pretend that Stace and I were casual friends.

Time ticked by and I kept sitting on my couch and staring out my windows and smelling the scent of Stace still lingering in the air even though she’d left hours ago. We’d cleaned up from breakfast before she’d gone so I didn’t even have any evidence that she’d been here. Like I’d dreamed her up and she’d vanished when I awoke.

Don’t freak out, but my little brothers have presents for you Stace sent.

What kind of presents and why? I asked.

They’d be so mad if I spoiled the surprise. It’s nothing big, but I wanted to warn you. You’re still coming, right? Please say you’re still coming.

I closed my eyes and wished I could shut her out. Shut all of this out. She wasn’t even here, but I could feel her. Could see her face and hear her voice pleading with me to not let her down.

Fuck. I didn’t want to let her down.

I knew Stace well enough to know that if I bailed, if I told her it was too much, that she wouldn’t hate me. That she would smile even though she was hurt and say it was okay.

I didn’t want to be the reason she was hurting.

I’m still coming.

Stace met me at my car when I parked.

“I was about twenty percent sure you were going to show up,” she said, beaming at me when I got out of the car. Her smile hit me just as hard as it always did, and my stomach twisted with guilt that I’d ever thought about not showing up for her. Because really, was this the worst thing that had ever happened to me? No. Eating some food and making small talk with her family wasn’t medieval torture.

I wasn’t even going to have to pay. Free food and I got to spend time with Stace. Definitely not the worst way to spend an afternoon.

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