Page 67 of A Me and Him Thing
“Hey, just thought I’d come check on you, young lady. You okay?”
It’s Jack. Ren’s father has taken on the job of my protector. He hugged me the minute we returned, asking how I was. I lied and said I was fine. I know he didn’t believe me.
I don’t lie this time. “Not really.”
“You didn’t know, did you?”
“No. Ren felt the best way for me to understand his life was to see it firsthand.”
“Was he right?”
“Yeah. But…”
“Nothing can prepare you for actually seeing Allie.”
Allie. That’s cute. It fits the smiling woman in the pictures much more than the formal version of her name.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t that.”
“All this time, he’s never once brought another woman home. Have to say, it surprised us.”
“We’re just friends.”
Jack leans a hand against the wall. “On paper maybe. Not in your hearts.”
I don’t know what to say to that. It makes me feel like our relationship is clandestine. Just like my relationship with Sawyer turned out to be. It was right, then it was so very wrong. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Are they still married?” I need to know, and I need to know now.
He takes a deep breath. “I think that’s a question for Ren, but I’ll answer it anyway. Yes, they are.”
I close my eyes.He’s a married man. That explains Ren’s behavior, his refusal to take our relationship to the next level.“That explains a lot. I was friend-zoned the moment I met him.” I mean, I friend-zoned him too.
“Ren’s as loyal as they come,” Jack says.
“I love that quality.” I do, but this scenario hurts.
“What about you? Are you loyal?” Jack’s pointed gaze makes me uncomfortable.
“I’ve always been loyal in my love life. But I was once disloyal to a best friend. I’m still making up for that mistake.” I’m not sure I can ever make up for my actions.
“Good for you.” Jack nods as though he approves of me.
I think. “How long has Allison been like this?”
“It’s been four years since her accident.”
Four years? Ren has lived like this for four years. He has a wife, but not really.
This is unbearable. I’m ready to go home. Being here is like having a dream dangled before my eyes, then having someone say, “Just kidding, it can’t be yours.”
I’ve been in this position before.
A relationship between us is hopeless. It can’t happen.
“She had an accident?” I ask.
