Page 124 of The Fallacy of True Love
No. The opposite, in fact. But I wouldn’t tell her that, because I wasn’t ready to voice out loud how much he made me feel. “It doesn’t matter. He lives in Manila.”
“It’s not that far. And when you get that job?—”
I raised my brows at her. “When?”
“You’re getting it, Cam. You’re just scared to lose a convenient excuse not to pursue this thing with Lonzo.” Despite the blunt words, Nikki’s voice was gentle, and her face open. Accepting. Wordlessly telling me that even though she knew about my scars and defense mechanisms, she cared for me just the same.
If someone like her could accept me unconditionally, maybe I wasn’t unlovable after all.
“I told him why I moved here.”
Her eyes went shimmery. “You did?” she breathed out.
“Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“You didn’t tell me that for months.”
“I gave him so much shit. He deserved to know why.”
“You let him in.” Cartoon hearts practically floated from her eyes, and I itched to bat them away with my hands.
“I just let him take a peek.” Even as I said the words, I knew I was lying.
“Funny how Miss Brutally Honest can be such a liar when it comes to love.”
I reared back. “Who mentioned anything about love? I’ve only known him for a few months.”
“It doesn’t matter. Haven’t you heard of love at first sight?”
“That’s called lust.”
She chuckled. “Such a cynic. Love doesn’t depend on how long you know someone but how well you do.”
“Uh huh.” I snagged the opportunity to turn the tables around on her. “Eric knows you well. Super well, actually.”
Her eyes narrowed on me. For a long moment, she only stared, and then she let out a huge breath. “He asked me out. On a date.”
I internally cheered him on. “About time. What did you say?”
“I said I’d think about it.”
“Nikki. You’ve been thinking about it practically since you two met. Don’t deny it.”
Slumping, she rested her head on my shoulder. “What if things go wrong? It’s not just me I need to think about; it’s Jo too. I don’t want to risk her losing the closest thing she has to a father figure.”
“So you’re okay for her to miss out on Eric being more than just her tito and him finding someone else?”
Her head snapped up. “I hate you.”
“That’s my line.” I bumped my arm against hers. “You know I love you both. There are no other people I can think of who deserve each other more than you two.”
“I can think of another pair. Their names start with A and C.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed. “On that note, I need to shower and get to work.” Aside from the project I’d booked while I was in Manila, I also had an idea I wanted to explore with Eric’s help.
“Me too.” Nikki stood. “But seriously, Cam. I’m rooting for you and Lonzo.”
Deep down, I wanted to root for us too. Because despite my efforts to convince myself it had just been the sex, that wasn’t even in my top memories of Alonzo.
