Page 72 of Texts From My Exes
“Like boulders.” My brother said not so helpfully.
“Giant ones.” She added.
“Got it. I have boulders. Thanks. Again, so very helpful!” I said through clenched teeth. “What if she wakes up and says it was a mistake?”
Nobody said anything. Finally I said. “Now’s the time to give your opinion guys!”
“Oh!” They both said in unison then hushed discussions from both of them before my brother finally said. “She won’t and if she does, you hear her out, you’re processing it all right now, she’s going to be processing it when she wakes up, so give her some time.”
Yes, because time didn’t sound or feel like torture. “Yeah. I know. Okay. I know… Because it’s Harper… Because she’s—” I stopped, my chest constricting as I spoke the words I’d never said out loud but sworn in my heart for so long. “Because she’s it.” I took a breath, my heart pounding with the truth of it all. “I don’t want to mess her up. I want to fix what I broke. And I want to keep her. All of it sounds impossible at the same time.”
“Stop sighing, and you!” my brother shouted. “Stop making me look like I’ve never done anything romantic!”
“You can up your game.” Maya interjected.
“I’m ignoring you.”
“This is why you aren’t romantic.
“Guys!” I called out, again.
“Marry her. Get a ring. Worked for me.”
“Damn right it did.” Maya replied, and I think I heard a smack.
“I’m going to have a bruise on my ass from that!”
“Just marking my territory.”
“Ew. Stop.”
Yelling sounded followed by screaming.
“Gotta go man, the locals just started fighting over the XBOX again.”
“Why are they up?”
“They never sleep.” She whispered. “And it’s not a school night genius.”
Oh yeah well that made sense.
“Okay.” I stared at the room again. “I might just drug myself to sleep then.”
“NyQuil saves lives.” Big bro agreed. “Catch you on the flip side.”
“Yup.” I hung up and then put my phone back on the table and leaned forward, elbows on my knees. “Aghhhhh.”
I tugged at my hair.
What if she regretted me?
What if she was upset?
What if it wasn’t what she wanted even though I know in my soul it was? What if she denied it? Denied me?
Fuck, I should have thought more with my brain less with my heart.
I was so stuck in my own thoughts I nearly shit my pants when something wrapped around my neck, then warm hands slid down my chest. I shuddered. “Please don’t be a hallucination or someone out to kidnap me.”
