Page 94 of Exes and O's

“You must really like him,” he says, his mouth curving into a small smile. After this long, Daniel can still read me like a book.

“How’d you know?” I whisper.

“I remember all the boys you used to crush on in school. You’d always try to pretend like you didn’t like them around me, but I could always tell,” he says with a casual shrug as he sips his drink.

“Really? How?”

He studies me for a beat. “You’d do that thing where you talk a mile a minute, twirling the ends of your hair. You get a little flustered. And you get that glassy, starry-eyed look,” he tells me, his eyes glinting with certainty like he’s solved a riddle.

“You say that like you know exactly what I’m talking about,” I venture.

He blushes. “Yeah. I’ve been battling a pathetic crush on my coworker Yua for years.”

“Years? Tell me about her.”

“She’s another developer.”

I bounce my brows suggestively. “Ohh, an office romance?”

He makes a pained expression and stares at his boots. “Not quite. We went on one date and she kind of freaked out. She’s scared to ruin our friendship, especially since we’d be stuck working together. I completely get it, but it sucks.”

“I’m sorry, Danny. Have you tried grand gesturing her?”

“Like declaring my love for her? Publicly?” he asks, aghast at the suggestion.

“Oh yeah. In front of tons of people, obviously,” I tease.

“No, no, no. I wanted to respect her wishes too. It didn’t feel right to push it. What about Trevor? Tell me about him.”

And I do. I confide the entire story about Trevor, from day one to the events that followed Friday night. Telling Daniel the intimate details of my love life feels natural, because I’m talking to my former best friend. I’m also hopeful another dude’s insight might shed some light.

He contemplates for a moment, tilting his head. “It’s hard for me to say what this guy thinks regarding the texts. But I wouldn’t rule him out. From what you’ve said, he’s gone through some shit. Maybe he just needs some space. Or maybe he needs more reassurance from you. Like a grand gesture.”

After sending Trevorthreemirror photos with zero response, the last thing I’m about to do is humiliate myself further with a grand gesture. Besides, the last time I attempted a grand gesture, I ended up engaged to the likes of Seth. “No. He knows how I feel. I think that’s precisely what scares him.”

He dips his head back. “Remember that time you tried to kiss Spencer Hayfield at recess and he told everyone you were a witch?”

I fail to suppress a snort. “He told everyone I put a curse on him. The little shit. The patriarchy is so strong, even six-year-olds believe girls who go after what they want are witches.”

Daniel bumps my shoulder with his. “My point is, you were always fearless. Don’t lose that.”

“Will you let me stay on your couch when it all inevitably backfires?”

He extends his slender hand, giving me a supportive shake. “Deal.”

Before the dinner starts, I excuse myself for a bathroom break, leaving Daniel in the good hands of my nurse colleagues. On my way out, my nose is buried in my phone as notifications stream in for a photo of a red book cover I paired with my dress.

Out of nowhere, a shiver electrifies my spine. Goosebumps scatter down my arms, as if I’m standing directly under the chilly blast of a vent. A velvety, audiobook-worthy voice upends everything in my orbit, stopping me in my tracks.

chapter thirty-one

MY BODY MALFUNCTIONSlike a laptop drowned by a spilled glass of water, screen flickering until it surrenders to the void.

For the briefest of moments, I convince myself Trevor’s voice was simply an audio hallucination. Nothing but a vivid symptom of my general heartache. I’m sure of it, until my name slices the air for the second time.

“Tara.”

I pivot as fast as possible in three-inch heels on carpet, confirming that for once, it isn’t my overactive imagination propelled by emotional, golf-ball-size hailstones.

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