Page 61 of The One I Hate
All three simultaneously roll their eyes.
“What can I say? I am who I am.”
“That’s the problem,” Shane groans. “So you then, what—bought a diner to somehow lure her to you?”
I shake my head. “No. I swear that was coincidence. I bought the diner not knowing she was even looking for a place of her own. Sometimes things just work out. That’s what happens when you’re one of God’s favorites.”
“Yeah, you’re his favorite pain in the ass.”
I balk at Shane. “That was rude.”
“No. Rude is not telling her you’re her landlord. Rude is sleeping with her. Rude is?—”
I cut Shane off. “Is it the best plan? No. I know that. But for years this woman ignored me. Left me wondering. I need answers that only she can give me. You have to understand that, right? Wondering for years what could have been?”
Did I just tap into Shane’s many years pining for Amelia? Yup. Am I ashamed? Not in the least.
“That was fucking low,” Shane says.
“I never said I played fair.”
“So what happens after she finds out?” Shane pushes back. “Let’s say in two months you get your answer. What then?”
“That’s future Simon’s problem,” I say.
“That’s smart,” Wes quips. “This is going to bite you in the ass so hard…”
“Probably,” I say, though realizing they’re all right. “Am I stupid? Seriously. Am I being an idiot?”
Oliver raises a curious eye brow. “Are we being serious or telling you what you want to hear?”
I shake my head. “Serious.”
“Yeah, you are,” Wes says. “But at the same time, I get it.”
“Same,” Shane says. “Which I hate saying, because this is stupid. But I get what it’s like to be pushed to the brink, when sometimes the stupid decision is somehow your only one.”
I nod a thanks. “Oliver? Thoughts?”
Oliver looks over to me, a kind smile on his face. “Was she the one who got away?”
I should have known a question like this was going to come from him. “Yeah. She was.”
“Then get your closure. Do it so you can move on. Just be careful.”
I nod, appreciating his advice. Though I don’t know if he’s telling me to be careful with her, or to be careful with myself.
Honestly, it’s probably both.
Yes, I need my closure. Yes, I need answers. But at the end of the day, I need to make sure she doesn’t break my heart.
Again.
Chapter 15
Charlie
Ipull my car to the curb in front of the building that is about to become my whole life.
