Page 49 of Can't Take My Eyes Off You

‘I don’t understand?’

Suddenly, I jerk awake in a cold sweat, with a gasp, realizing I’m still on a plane, not in the middle of proposing to a woman who seemingly hates me and is marrying Alex. I lean forward with a heavy sigh, attempting to recover from heartbreak that’s never felt so real.

‘You alright?’ asks my seat-mate – a middle-aged balding guy. ‘Did she say no?’

‘What?’ How in the hell could he know that?

‘You’ve been talking in your sleep for twenty minutes. Berkley this and Berkley that, and truthfully, I’m completely invested now, so, did she say no?’

I was talking in my sleep? That’s new. Must be a stress thing. ‘It was a firm no; she’s marrying someone else.’

‘That hurts, bud. Does this woman actually exist or is she just the woman of your dreams?’

‘Both?’ I say, unsure of how else to answer.

‘Is she really marrying this Alex?’

‘God, I hope not.’

He lifts a copy of a book I’ve never heard of. ‘I finished my book,’ the man says. ‘I’ve got all the time, and I’m an old romantic. Tell me about her.’

What could it hurt? It’s not like I have anyone else to talk to and maybe this guy is some kind of love guru.

‘We dated for seven years and I decided to make some stupid decisions that affected the life we were planning, so she dumped me.’

‘Sounds painful. What’d you do?’

‘I signed some contracts without her permission that required me to live somewhere other than where we agreed upon. For the last three years.’

‘Whoa. You didn’t just make a bad decision; you lit a stick of dynamite in your own world.’

‘Yep. I’m a real moron.’

He laughs. ‘Everyone is, whether they admit it or not. She never forgave you after three years?’

I shake my head. ‘Not even a little bit. Mostly because I continued being an idiot until I hit rock bottom and here I am. Three years later and on a plane back from rehab ready to prove she’s all I want and I’m finally in the right state of mind for our future.’

Besides Bryce, Cole and my family, no one knows where I’ve been the last three months. After I was arrested, I tried to straighten up but it wasn’t as easy as I had hoped. Once my housemates heard I was considering leaving the show they started treating me better because they aren’t ready for the Royals to end. But that didn’t last long. So I went down the path of total annihilation of my own life – all on camera – before finally deciding to stand up for myself. If I didn’t, I knew I might end up dead.

In a drunken stupor, Laura’s words came back to me and I took a chance, went to rehab, endless counseling and put myself first so I could maybe do the same for her forever.

‘You think she’s decided this Alex is her new future?’

‘It’s literally all I think about so it’s become my worst fear.’

‘That’s rough, bud. Women are complicated creatures. Take it from an old guy like me. I’ve been married four times. Interested in knowing what I’ve learned?’

Married four times and he’s offering relationship advice? Not sure I do want to know, but I’ve got a feeling he’s going to tell me anyway.

‘Women don’t want a man to parent, son. They want a man they can depend on. A partner in life, not an anchor. Put her first, listen when she speaks and do more supporting and less “fixing”. Make sure she knows she’s your one and only. Be her friend and her lover. Never let chivalry die. Don’t stop dating her. Romance her for no reason at all. Respect her. Be both gentle and dominant depending on the situation. Figure out what she likes and do it without her asking… I could go on and on, but these are the ones that come to mind the quickest.’

‘That’s a lot of lessons.’

‘Yes it is, kid,’ the man agrees. ‘Top secret tip: if the fight is real bad, call a time-out, strip naked and continue. In my experience you’ll either be making love in minutes or you’ll be wishing you don’t die stark naked as she chases you through the house telling you what an idiot you are.’

I laugh out loud. ‘You speak from experience?’

‘Yes, I do,’ he says with a wide grin. ‘Trust me on this, bud. I’m not married because I’m terrible at it. I’ve got issues I don’t want to fix. I don’t want kids. I hate being tied down. I want to do what I want to do without permission, and women don’t love that. Relationships fall apart because people don’t really want to try, but floating through life will get you nowhere. You need to decide what kind of life you want and then put your all into it.’

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