Page 190 of The Perfect Love

I open my mouth, then close it again. Because I don’t have anything to say to that. I’m not fine. I can’t even pretend I am.

“Have you talked to her at all?” Aaron asks.

I shake my head. “She said she needed space.” Probably space to figure out how best to get away from me. Whether she ever wants to see me again, or will just have Robbie kick me out of the apartment. At least I can always move back in here.

“Hey, Aaron!” Rae calls from upstairs.

“You should go deal with that. They need support right now.”

“So do you.”

“I’ll be fine,” I mutter.

“I call bullshit,” Miles says, walking up behind Aaron. He smacks Aaron’s arm. “Go take care of them.”

Aaron looks at me again, then nods. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Sure.” Not that I’m going to. He’s got enough going on.

Miles grabs his coat. “Come on.”

“Where?”

“We’re going back to your place and getting all the pizza we can eat. Which between the two of us is probably at least three large ones, right?”

I almost laugh at that. “You don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t have to. I want to. You show up for everyone. Let someone show up for you.”

My heart cracks a little more. I finally found my person to let in, let take care of me, and now…

“Yeah, okay.”

“Such a warm invitation,” he says with a smile. “But I’ll take it. Let’s go.”

“Important question,” Miles asks as we lounge on the couch watchingTerminator 3. “How many times have you watched this movie in the last three days?”

I glance at him.

“I plead the fifth.”

“Is it a comfort or a punishment at this point?”

“Fuck off. I love these movies.”

“If you say so.”

“Did you just come here to kick me when I’m down?”

He grabs the remote and pauses the movie, a serious look on his face.

“I’m here to make sure you don’t drown in the darkness. Friends don’t let friends be miserable alone. And contrary to what you think, you need support.”

“Do I? I mean, I made my bed.”

“No. Fuck that. That’s what the little voice in your head says because you have an incessant need to help and protect people at all times.”

I side-eye him because that hit a little too close to the head of the nail.

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