Page 50 of She Used to Be Nice
Yea, that’s cool. Where did you have in mind?
Avery squealed and responded immediately.amazing!! how about Jimmy’s Corner? tonight at 6?
Jimmy’s Corner was an unassuming but classic dive bar near the center of Times Square, which—Avery knew—was objectively the worst place in Manhattan, with its blinding seizure-inducing billboards stretching twenty stories high and hostile tourists taking photos on their iPads. But that area of Forty-Second Street was the easiest to get to no matter where you were in the city, and Avery didn’t want to complicate things with Pete any more than she already had.
Three dots appeared on the screen. Avery’s cheeks hurt from smiling. Pete was typing! He was using his fingers on the screen while their text message window was open! It was almost like they were touching.
Sure. See you then.
Avery spent the rest of the day avoiding work, specifically doing nothing more with the Dave Moore story, in favor of staring at the clock and watching the minutes drag. At 5:30PMon the dot she bolted from her desk and hustled to the bar to ensure she arrived early, then ordered the strongest beer on the menu and grabbed two empty stools toward the back. The great thing about Jimmy’s Corner, besides the unique boxing memorabilia decorating the walls, was that despite being right in the middle of the city’s tourist trap, tourists rarely came here, meaning it was rarely crowded and there was always a place to sit.
Pete appeared at the front door at 6:10 with what looked like a fresh haircut, his shiny brown locks tamed while still retaining their signature thickness and volume. Avery’s fingers pulsed with the need to touch them.
“Hey,” Pete said when he approached her. His voice was cautious.
“Hi.” Avery gestured to the empty seat next to her, inviting Pete to sit. He obliged and waved down the bartender to order a beer.
“Put it on my tab,” Avery insisted.
Pete didn’t protest. He put in his order and then looked at her expectantly.
She wrung her hands out in her lap. Already her palms were sweating.
“Thanks for meeting me,” she began. “I’m … very grateful for a chance to explain myself. Even though I probably don’t deserve it.” Again, Pete didn’t protest. Avery wiped her slimy hands on her jeans. She hadn’t prepared what she was going to say, which in hindsight was maybe a bad idea. “I’m sorry about this weekend. I shouldn’t have kicked you out of my apartment without an explanation. But I’m still not ready for a relationship or anything …”
Pete’s expression was blank. Waiting.
“Right now,” she said.
He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“I’m saying, I’m not ready for a relationship … right now.” Avery took a long sip of her crisp beer to cool off. “But maybe … in the future. Like you said.”
Pete tipped his head to the side, confused. “So you’re changing your mind.”
“Well …” Avery cleared her throat. “After you left my place the other morning, I realized that I … do like you.” She hesitated as more panicked heat pricked the back of her neck. “Well, no. I didn’trealize. I’ve known this whole time. I’ve just … been in denial?” She was so bad at this. “I wanna hang out more, is what I’m saying.”
Pete leaned back in his seat and eyed her curiously. “Like how?”
Avery fidgeted, readjusted her sticky thighs. “I don’t know. Like, dinner?”
“Dinner? I can get dinner with my mom.” Pete sipped his beer, staring at her over the rim of the glass. “But I believe the word you’re looking for starts with the same letter.”
Avery squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. “I wanna go on a date. With you.”
Pete cupped his hand over his ear. “What did you say?”
Now he was just being annoying. But she deserved this. “I wanna go on adate,” she said. “With you.”
Pete laughed. “Now that’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear from you.” He took another gulp of his beer and patted his lips with a cocktail napkin. Was he making her wait for his answer on purpose? “But yes, sure, I’d love to,” he said at last. “Even though you made me take the ungodly early ferry home while hungover without at least offering to get a bagel with me.”
Avery’s mouth quirked. “I’m sorry about that. I’ve been all over the place. It’s no excuse, but work’s been really busy, and between that and doing maid of honor stuff with Morgan for the wedding …” She swallowed in response to her own lie. The first of many she’d surely tell him. “I haven’t been fair to you.”
“It’s okay.” Pete gave her an affectionate nudge. “I get it. I’m just gonna rub it in a little more. I can’t let you off the hook that easily.”
They locked eyes for a few beats. Avery tore away her gaze, unsure of what to say next and growing more insecure with every passing moment of quiet. This would not be the first time she’d need to convince herself that she wasn’t too much of an asshole for him. They sat in the heavy silence, with Avery wishing she could say more about why she’d been so aloof with him until now. He was clearly hurt and trying to hide it by keeping it light with humor, like they were each avoiding being vulnerable in their own ways.
“I guess not,” she said softly.
