Page 50 of Just Friends
Thinking further back, I remembered what Camille warned me about; the danger of moving states to live with Jax. She’d said I was wasting my time and my prime dating years. Because the second he met “the one,” she’d want me out of the picture. And who could blame her? Not me. I wouldn’t wantmyman living with a single woman, either. Especially if they were as close as Jax and I are. It’d be so hard to build the trust necessary for a healthy relationship, especially during the early stages of a relationship, when trust is so important because you’re both so vulnerable. There would always be a voice lingering in the back of my mind, wondering,
What if they get drunk one night and something happens?
What if I’m not crazy, and something really is going on between him and her?
What if they’re both really good at hiding it?
So I wouldn’t blame Jax’s girl, whoever she might be, when she made him choose between us. And I wouldn’t blame him when he inevitably chose true love over friendship, and took her over me.
I’d besad,yes. Devastated, even, because I’d be losing my best friend.
But I’d understand.
And somehow, even though IthoughtI knew all this already, I didn’t truly understand ituntil now,when it was already too late.
Jax and I stared at that stupid spinning wheel, endlessly turning. My nauseous stomach churned with dread.
Oh, how I wished I could make it all stop! I wanted to pull the plug on the promo and take it all back.
Buthow?
I could shut off the stream and say this whole thing was just a giant publicity stunt all along—sorry guys! You didn’treallythink we were sending you to a fancy party with a bunch of NHL players and their wives, did you?! That’d be crazy, ha ha ha!
… but that, I knew, would be the end of Soulmate. Pull a stunt like that, and I’d infuriate all the users Jax had helped me gain over the past four weeks. My app would be dead in the water in its very first week of existence. All the money I sank into the project would be gone with it. And I’d be back at square one, wondering what the heck I was supposed to do for money, and how to take care of my parents should something happen to them.
Helpless, I shrank in my seat, my lips sealed. There was nothing else to do but watch, watch and wait, while my creation worked its magic.
Za-zing!Soulmate played its friendly chime to announce that the search was finally over.
Jax had found his match.
I could barely stand the agonizing half-second wait for her profile to load.
Her profile popped up—
and for a fraction of a second, life itself stopped making sense.
Because that profile picture?
I’d seen it before.
And that face, smiling and staring back at us?
It was very,veryfamiliar. Like staring-into-a-mirror familiar.
Because it was me.
Me?
I’m his number one match?
My throat turned as dry as the desert sand. I couldn’t speak. I could only stare helplessly at the screen:
Congratulations, Jax! Your Soulmate is PIPER EAGLESTORM.Ready to start a conversation?
This wasnotgood. Not good for business, not good for our friendship, not good for a lot of things.
But then there was another part of me, deeper down, that was thrilled. Pride popped up and reared its ugly head. I wanted to throw my arms into the air and do a little dance to celebrate—because this proved that our friendship reallywasthe best. And all you other girls better sit up, take notice, and back thehelloff my man.
