Page 73 of Getting Over You

“If you’re about to tell me you don’t care about Gigi,” EJ says, stern, “I’ll be the first to call you a goddamn liar.”

My jaw ticks. Sweat collects at the base of my neck. “Fine. I give a shit about her and her feelings. But that’s all the more reason for me to make things obvious to her. We’ll sleep together and that’s it. Gigi knows the deal. She won’t get her feelings hurt.”

“But will you?”

I scoff. “EJ. What the fuck do you think I am?”

“You’re a guy who cares about a girl. There’s nothing wrong with that—but tell me what you’re gonna do when she goes back home, huh? You gonna just let her go and add her to your list? Move on to the next one?”

“EJ,” I start, pinching the bridge of my nose. “It’s complicated, dude. You know how these things go.”

“Yeah, I do, because I’ve seen you do this since you were a teenager. You’re almost twenty-three. It’s not a bad thing to consider finding a good girl and getting serious for once in your life.”

“Look who’s talking.” My jaw pulses. “Twenty-five and in love with a girl, but too chickenshit to do anything.”

“The difference is that I fully intend on getting Rory, making her mine forever. I want the whole thing with her, and if she came to me tomorrow and said she was ready, I’d give her everything.”

Something about that coming from EJ makes me pause. I put a fist against my chest. “Christ, dude. Is it that deep?”

“For me it is. When it comes to Rory, for me, it is. I’d give her everything if she asked.”

Silence sits between us like a boulder. Finally, I say, “You really think it’ll happen?”

“With Rory? Oh, yeah. I love that girl more than anything. She knows it, too. It’s just a waiting game now—waiting for her to be ready, waiting for her to want me.”

“Dude. You’re a dumbass.” EJ looks at me, confused. “She’s got it bad for you.”

“You think?” EJ looks excited, like a dog when you ask if they want to go for a walk. “Seems like I’ve got my happy ending, then. What about yours?”

“My happy ending,” I say, “is running a tattoo shop where I can have metal music blaring and feel the vibrations of a gun in my hand. That’s all I need, me and her.”

“You and Gigi?”

I laugh. “No. Me and my true love, the shop.”

EJ flutters his eyes, and it reminds me immediately of Gigi. “A tattoo shop won’t always be there. You heard from Eddy yet?”

I shake my head. “Nothing. I text every few days and ask. Nada.”

“You might want to consider loving Gigi,” EJ says, “in case your one true love doesn’t work out after all.”

“Me and my girl are meant to be,” I tell him. “Don’t worry about it.”

EJ laughs. “That’s adorable. But your side chick and Rory will be here soon to help us clean. Get your mind right before she gets here—Gigi seems like the jealous type.”

Because it’s the only thing I have close, I chuck my now-empty water bottle at EJ’s head.

She’s floating around like a goddess on cocaine. And it’s not just because she’s had a few drinks. I think she’d be acting like this, anyway, to fuck with my head.

“Do you want another?” Gigi asks, appearing in front of me and tipping her nearly empty cocktail at my beer bottle. “You need another.”

“You think so?” I ask.

Her blue eyes sparkle. “Yes. Be right back.” Then, she’s floating toward the kitchen.

“She keeps telling me we need to get our drinks in before we head to the beach,” Rory says. “I say she should cool it. We can smoke and drink there just fine. Nothing has stopped us before.”

“There isn’t normally a crowd,” I point out. “Knowing Gigi, she’s concerned about inconveniencing other people on the beach.”

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