Page 112 of When Worlds Collide
February
Ipropped the phone against the vase full of daffodils on the kitchen counter as I sat on the stool, so I could see Becka properly.
“Okay, so, what? Are you and Ben officially dating now?”
She seemed to consider the question before answering. “I don’t know about ‘officially’,” she said, taking a sip from her mug. “But yeah… we’ve gone out a few times.” She smiled shyly, and while I loved to see the blooming happiness I saw in my best friend, I couldn’t completely suppress the inkling of concern. This was the same Ben who just up and left one day, abandoninghis girlfriend with barely a ‘goodbye’. Literally just moved his shit out, and left while she’d been at work.
Thankfully, Becka was financially secure enough to have been able to afford the rent and bills on her own.
So, yeah, I was not a fan and I honestly did not love this rekindling. But, I’d said my piece on this to Becka, she was a big girl, and she could make her own decisions without me butting in.
But, evidently my eyebrows could not keep their opinions to themselves.
“I see that expression, babes.” Becka pointed one well-manicured nail at the screen, and I rolled my eyes. “Spit it out.”
I held my hands up in surrender.
“I’ve said what I’ve said, you know how I feel.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay.” She puffed out a breath, running an anxious hand through her hair, and just from that I knew she was not oblivious to my – valid – concerns. “I just think a relationship that lasted that many years deserves a second chance, you know?”
If she was asking for my permission, she was looking in the wrong place, because I thought this was a mistake. I thought that anyone who could just ghost the person they supposedly ‘loved’, and had ‘loved’ for years didn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Ben had made a reappearance back in December, and since then, he’d made a real effort to make it up to Becka, which I did have to give him points for, but that was as generous as I was willing to be. The story he’d given her was that when he’d lost his job, he had felt useless, and when Becka had tried to hype him up, all he’d heard was her dismissing his feelings, which I could – begrudgingly – understand.
What I found hard to swallow was the way he just left. No note, no messages, just packed up and left. She’d had to reach out to his parents just to confirm he was still alive.
I didn’t think I’d ever be able to give him a pass for that.
I didn’t say any of that, though.
“Becka, you know your own mind, you’ll figure it out.”
“Pfft. Like I’ve got the best track record for that.” She bit the inside of her cheek and I winced in sympathy. Relationship drama was not something I envied.
Wanting to lighten the mood, I said, “Woojin will be devastated to learn he’s lost your heart.”
Becka laughed, and it was like a light had turned on inside her again. Seeing Becka upset when I wasn’t there with her made me feel like a garbage friend, even when it was completely out of my control.
“You tell that beautiful man to call me next time he’s in the US, and I’ll make time for him.” Her cheeks turned a pretty pink that I admired. When I blushed, I just went splotchy.
“You know, they’re touring soon,” I said conversationally, “and that means we’ll be in the US in a few months.”
There were a few beats of silence as I watched her eyebrows furrow first in confusion, and then deepen into confusion and then-
“'We'? Bish, are you going on TOUR?" She shouted so loudly my phone speaker crackled.
I laughed, holding a finger to my lips, trying to shush her. Jihoon was still sleeping and she was screeching like a bloody banshee.
“Yes! It’ll be a working visit, I’m basically a roadie, but yup. And keep this to yourself, but we’re going to be in LA and Oakland, so you can take your pick!”
I swiftly muted my phone, watching as Becka – silently – started screaming, her whole face screwed up, and I held a hand over my own mouth to muffle my laughter.
Eventually, she calmed down enough to where I could safely unmute her.
“Babes, you are living the dream!” She crowed, breathlessly, and I grinned, her excitement so contagious.
“When? I’ll need to book the time off so we can catch up properly.”
