Page 46 of Petals and Plot Twists
I frown. “And now you’re not friends?”
He shrugs. “We tried to be. And we’re still nice when we see each other. But it’s hard to go back, you know?”
“This is what I keep telling people,” I say, emphatic enough that Jake jolts a little at my sudden response. “Sorry,” I say, dialing it back just a bit. “It’s just that so many people keep telling me we’re perfect for each other and we should date already, but I don’t want to screw up our friendship. Why is that so hard for people to understand?”
“I get it,” Jake says. “We got a lot of the same pressure.” He shrugs easily. “Sometimes it works out though. It would suck to miss out on something amazing just because you want to protect something slightlylessamazing.”
I shove a huge bite of crème brûlée into my mouth. “How do I know though? How do I know a relationship would be more amazing?”
“Come on,” he says. “How could it not be? If you have good physical chemistry, and you’re both committed, why wouldn’t a relationship be better? It’s just friendship with more perks, right?”
When the night is finally over, Jake walks me back to The Serendipity, pausing once we reach the front door.
“I’d ask you if I changed your mind about another date, but I think I already know the answer to that question.”
I grimace. “You’re amazing, Jake. Truly. But…”
“I get it,” he says as he pushes his hands into his pockets. “But for the record, I think you should go for it with Peter.”
“For real?” I say. “You too? Even after you lost a friendship in the same kind of scenario?”
He lifts his hands and chuckles. “You do you,” he says. “But I feel like it’s worth noting that I mostly lost my friendship with Sarah because she got married, and it was no longer cool for us to hang out all the time. That might be something else for you to think about. If you like hanging out with Peter, you might have to marry him to keep things the way they are.”
My mouth drops. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation right now. Can no one leave my friendship in peace?”
“Okay, okay. I won’t say another word,” Jake says. He pulls me into a friendly hug. “I’m glad I got to meet you, Sophie.”
As he walks down the sidewalk, it occurs to me that Jake would be perfect for Allison. If only she wasn’t moving in a couple of weeks.
Peter is sitting at my kitchen table when I enter my apartment.
In the dark.
Doing nothing.
“Peter?” I ask as I turn on the light. “Are you okay?”
He looks up, a blank expression on his face. “Hey. You’re back,” he says. His words are a little slow, a little soft around the edges.
“Yeah, I am. Have you been drinking?”
He holds up his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “Tiny bit.” He swallows, and I watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down.
I drop into the chair across from him. I’ve actually never seen Peter drunk or even tipsy, so this version of him is a little foreign. “Were you drinking alone?”
He shakes his head. “With Archer. That man has good bourbon.”
I huff out a tiny laugh. “Yeah. I bet. Have you eaten?” I slide my leftovers across the table. “I have some pasta.”
He reaches for the container and lifts the lid. “What kind?”
“You’ll like it. Chicken, sundried tomatoes, lots of parmesan.” I stand and grab him a fork, then fill a glass of water and set it down next to the open to-go container. “Why were you drinking with Archer?”
Peter shrugs as he digs into my leftovers. “No reason. Just that he offered.” He chews slowly, keeping his eyes down as he asks, “So, do you want to tell me about it? About meeting him?”
I furrow my brow. “About meeting Jake? I guess Ican.What do you want to know?”
He looks at me like I’m missing something important.
