Page 26 of For You & No One Else (Say Everything 3)

“Right.” Andi sat her chin in her hand, a pensive look in her eyes. “So if defense isn’t an option, how do we play offense? Also, this is as far as I can follow you on sports-ball analogies. Can we go back to murder plots?”

Eliza smirked. “It always comes back to murder plots. I did have some really vivid fantasies of taking a baseball bat to his car this morning.”

“What if offense is speaking out about it?” Hollyn said, her gaze on Eliza.

“What do you mean? Like putting a comment on the video?” Eliza asked. “Or doing my own response video?”

“No, not that exactly.” Hollyn shook her head. “I’m just thinking about how celebrities handle scandals. If this happened to someone famous and I was covering the story, I’d reach out to that person to get a comment. I’d tell them that the media and whoever is on the other side would have control of the narrative if they don’t comment.”

Eliza nodded, processing her friend’s words. Hollyn was a well-respected entertainment reviewer in New Orleans, but her roots were in journalism. “So right now Ryan’s controlling the narrative?”

“Exactly. But you have a voice, too,” Hollyn said. “You could choose not to accept his narrative. Or the public shaming attached to it.”

Eliza wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans, her friend’s words sparking something inside her. “Right, and the thing about shaming someone is that it’s only effective if that person feels the shame, accepts it. Shaming a sociopath, for instance, wouldn’t do anything because they feel no shame.” An idea was opening up in her mind, stretching out its petals, blooming. She didn’t remember everything about her conversation with Beckham last night, but she did remember him saying,“What, you can’t be human?”“Conceivably, I could…not accept the shame.”

Andi grabbed a cinnamon roll for herself. “You shouldn’t have to. You didn’t do anything wrong. Fuck that guy.”

“I could flip it on him,” Eliza said, leaning forward, her mind racing ahead. “Women know how guys can be. How horrible dating is these days. What if I just announce that yes, I lost it? I was fed up. I couldn’t take one more guy just wanting to get laid instead of having an actual conversation. And yes, I drank more than I should’ve, but haven’t we all a time or two?”

Andi’s mouth curved.“Somany people will identify with all of that.”

“Amen,” Hollyn said.

“And sure,” Eliza said, “some guys may side with him and I may get blackballed on dating apps, but you know what?”

“What?” Andi said with a mouth full of pastry.

Eliza smiled, thinking of the conversation with Beckham again. “I don’t think I give a damn anymore. To hell with online dating.”

Andi’s eyebrows arched.

“I’m opting out,” Eliza said, her voice getting more confident. “I can’t do this anymore. I can go…analog.”

Hollyn sipped her coffee and gave her a skeptical look. “Analog?”

Eliza’s heartbeat had picked up speed, this plan of action filling her with something she hadn’t felt in way too long.Control.She didn’t have to opt in to how everyone else did it. There wasn’t a rule that dating had to be done that way. The species had coupled up and procreated without apps for millions of years.

Make the more interesting choice.Beckham had shown her that. Dating apps were the convenient choice, the obvious one, the path of least resistance. The more interesting choice was finding another way. She didn’t need to put up with men who treated her like this just because she wanted some companionship.

And other women didn’t have to either.

Another idea hit her. “I could make this a thing.”

Andi was popping chunks of cinnamon roll into her mouth like it was popcorn at the movies. “A thing?”

Eliza’s brain was moving too fast now. “A YouTube series or something. Or, wait, I could write a book. You know how people do those experiments where it’s like a year without sugar or booze or they cook all of Julia Child’s recipes?”

“Ooh, I love those,” Hollyn said, perking up. “Stunt books.”

“Exactly. I could document a year of being single in my thirties and opting out of online dating. Or how to find love without the apps. Or something. I don’t know. I’d have to brainstorm it.”

Andi pointed at her. “A book about that could totally sell.”

“For sure. I would’ve bought that book,” Hollyn said. “Before Jasper, of course. Because I definitely didn’t have the guts for online dating.”

Eliza’s brain was racing ahead now, her inner planner going into overdrive. “Maybe that’s what I should be writing instead of the relationship book. With the relationship book, I keep getting bored with it because it’s so dry. It’s all professional knowledge, no personal flavor because I’m notina relationship. But this?” She set her coffee down. “This, I’m in the trenches. I have real feelings about it. Personal horror stories to share. Too many, honestly. And after last night, I definitely have my opening chapter. You know openings are always the rock-bottom chapter.”

She laughed and pressed her palms together, touching them to her lips as an idea hit. “Oh my God, wouldn’t it be amazing if somehow I got a book deal out of this and I could dedicate the book to Ryan?”

---