Page 70 of Beautiful Desire
Grace shakes her head, pulling her legs onto the chair as she wraps her arms around them, watching me expectedly.
“Fine, she said this…situation, or relationship, or whatever the hell you wanna call it, is ending after I graduate.”
“Of course, she did,” she mutters, rolling her eyes. “And I’m guessing that’s not what you want?”
Shrugging, I say, “Not really.”
“Not really, or no?” Grace asks. “Because those are very different answers.”
My gut twists as I chew the inside of my cheek, not knowing how much I should share with her. I’m already not a big share-my-feelings type of guy, but she and Georgia areveryclose, and this conversation feels a little more vulnerable than I’m comfortable with.
Fuck it.What do I have to lose anyway?
“No, Grace, I don’t want it to end.”
Something flashes in her eyes, but it’s gone before I can put a name to it. “Did you tell her that?” she asks.
“Yeah, I mean, I told her I didn’t agree with her, but I didn’t beg her to change her mind, if that’s what you mean,” I reply honestly.
“Okay…” she murmurs slowly. “Why not?”
“That is a great question, Grace.” I huff a dry laugh, something shifting inside of me as I proceed to word vomit all over her. A steady stream of consciousness I can’t hold back. “I keep asking myself the same damn thing. Why didn’t I speak up? Why wouldn’t I fight harder? After all, that’s what you’re supposed to do when you’rein lovewith someone, right?”
“Did you just?—”
“And then I figured it out.” I continue, cutting her off. “It’s because Georgia was so matter of fact about all of it, so sure of this decision she made for the both of us, but more than that, she was just so fucking…content,” I grit out. “Like this end datewill be just another day for her. Like it won’t fucking suckat allto move on with her life.” A burst of laughter slips out of me, sounding maniacal to my own ears, but I don’t care. “You know what, Grace? How fuckingnicethat must be for her.” Jumping to my feet, I thrust my fingers through my hair as I pace along the length of the patio. “And honestly, I kind of knew it would come to this. Deep down, I knew this didn’t mean anything to her, butgoddamn, it sure fucking sucked realizing I was right. But yeah… How nice for her.”
Wow. Okay.
The silence is stifling as seconds pass, and then, “Fletcher, we have to go back to the part where you said you were in love with Georgia.”
“I’d rather not,” I groan as I realize all the inside thoughts I just blurted out.
Walking over to me, Grace grabs me by the shoulders, forcing me to look her in the eye. “Tell me you have a plan.”
“A plan?”
She rolls her eyes. “Yes, Fletcher. A plan to woo her and make her realize walking away is not an option.”
“Woo her?” My face twists up as I look at her like she’s lost her mind. “What is this, a Nicholas Sparks movie?”
“Why must men be so clueless?” she asks, mostly to herself. “If you feel this way about her, and you’re this worked up over it, then surely, you’re not going to just accept it, are you?”
“Well, I don’t really see any other option. Have you met your sister? She’s not exactly one to go back once her mind’s already made up.”
Glancing at her phone, she heaves a sigh and meets my gaze. “Listen, I have to get Blakely to gymnastics soon, so I can’t stay, but one thing about Georgia is, she’s been through a lot. It’s not my story to tell, but she has her reasons for why she’s so guarded.”
“I know about her ex-boyfriend,” I point out.
“Okay, well, if you truly want to be with her, you need to show her that. Show her that it’s okay to let her guard down this time. Grand gestures aren’t only for the movies, Fletcher. Think about it.” Patting my shoulder, she walks around me toward the house, but before she goes inside, Grace turns and says, “Congratulations, by the way, on finishing grad school. Proud of you.”
After she leaves, my brain spins. What could I possibly say to Georgia to get her to change her mind? I don’t know how towooanybody. Inside the house, I stop by the kitchen and grab one of the strawberry lemon bars before heading back to my room. Taking a bite, I audibly groan becausedamn, these are amazing.I sit down at my desk, going through my emails. There’re quite a few from my professors about final grades and the upcoming graduation ceremony, but one in particular regarding my capstone project catches my eye. Heart pounding harder, something clicks in my mind. The wheels are turning, and suddenly, it hits me.
And the answer’s been in front of my face the entire time…Why didn’t I see it sooner?This would be ahugelong shot, and I’m working up against the eleventh hour here, but I know what I’m going to do.
I know how I’m going to get my girl.
Time to get to work.
