Page 88 of Another Love, Another Time
“We’re roommates and friends. That’s it.”
“Have you slept with her since you lived together?”
“No. I knew I couldn’t go there.” I add under my breath, “Not after the last time in college.”
“Look, it’s clear she has feelings for you, but if you ever want to make it work with River, Melissa cannot live with you. You need to ask her to move out. How would you feel if River wereliving with a guy she claimed was just her friend?” He points at me. “Make sure psycho is clear where you guys stand in your friendship. I’m telling you that girl thinks you’re hers.”
“I know. I know. I’ll take her out to dinner tonight and let her know that she needs to start looking for a new place.”
“I don’t think you need to take her out. Just tell her when you see her tonight.”
“No. I need to break it to her gently. She’s been a good friend, and I don’t want to hurt her feelings.”
“Do what you think is right. I just know if you ever want your chance with River, you can’t have both of them in your life.”
I rub the back of my neck. “I just don’t want to hurt her feelings.”
He stands up and squeezes my shoulder. “No one does, Aug.” He heads to his car.
This is not going to be fun. I pull out my phone and send Melissa a text.
Auggie: You free for dinner tonight? I need to talk to you about something.
Melissa: Yes
Auggie: Can you meet me at TJ’s tonight at 7 p.m.?
Mackey was right. I need to be really clear.
~~
I get to TJ’s restaurant ten minutes early. I decide to go in and have the hostess take me to our table. The restaurant looks busy tonight, and I’m surprised when they get me seated right away.
I hear a ping and see a message from Mackey wishing me luck. I look up to see Melissa walking my way in a slim black dress thathugs her body. Her long hair has been curled, and she’s wearing a lot of makeup.
“Hey, Auggie,” she purrs. She must think this is a date. She stands by the table for a minute before finally taking a seat.
This is not going to be a fun conversation.
“Hey, Mel. How was your day?” Before she can respond, the waitress comes up to take our drink orders. I order a sweet tea, and she orders a glass of wine. Once the waitress has taken our order, we turn our attention back to each other.
She responds, “It was good—busy, but good. Yours?”
“Busy too. I’m working on a case, and I was running around every day getting ready for the court case.”
She reaches out and puts her hand over mine. “You work way too hard.”
I pull my hand away. If she cares, she doesn’t say anything.
The waitress is back at the table with our drinks, and we are both ready to order. We put our orders in and make small talk about our day until our food comes, and we dig in. We are in the middle of eating when Melissa puts her fork down.
“So, you wanted to talk to me about something?”
Okay, I guess we are going to do this now. I put my fork and knife down. Earlier, I looked up how to break bad news to people. They recommended starting with two positive things about the person before you give them the bad news.
“Yes.” I wipe my mouth with the cloth napkin and then look her in the eyes. “You know how important you are to me and how much I appreciate everything you did for me in college. I never would have graduated if it weren’t for you.”
She gives me a big smile. “You know I would do anything for you, Auggie.”
