Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 98412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“You don’t know that,” Ani said, not unkindly. “You don’t know her very well, Trev. You guys have been talking, I know, but you’ve only been around her a couple of times.”
“I know her,” I argued.
“If you knew her, you would have seen that she wasn’t ready to have sex with you.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the chest. “Is that what you think of me?” I asked in bewilderment. “Seriously?”
“Trev, no,” she argued. “That’s not what I meant. You’re taking my words wrong.”
“They were pretty fucking clear.”
“I have no doubt that she was willing,” Ani said quickly. “Don’t be an idiot.”
“Of course she was,” I practically yelled.
“I’m just saying that maybe she wasn’t ready yet, asshole,” Ani shot back, her voice rising, too. “You guys barely know each other, and you’re Henry’s brother.”
Inhaling through my nose, I made an effort to calm myself down. I was reacting instinctively without thinking about what I was saying, and it was beginning to make me feel even more anxious.
I always thought things through. Always. So why had I gone off half cocked and done something so idiotic?
“Just give her some space, Trev,” Ani said gently, while I continued to breathe slowly, in through my nose and out through my mouth. “That’s the best advice I can give you.”
“I’m sorry I yelled,” I replied. I wasn’t someone who argued or spoke to people angrily. I thought things through and replied calmly and rationally—always.
“No worries,” Anita replied. “It was kind of mind-blowing listening to you lose your cool. You are human.”
“Funny,” I muttered.
“It’ll work out, dude.”
“Thanks for the talk,” I said.
“Anytime. You know that.”
We got off the phone, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t.
Anita had just told me to give Morgan space, and I knew that it was solid advice, but I couldn’t stand leaving things the way they were. I wrote and rewrote the text message four times before I finally pressed SEND.
I don’t think it was a mistake.
Simple and direct.
I stayed where I was for half an hour, staring out the window while the car idled. She didn’t text me back.
* * *
“I just think that maybe we could get to know them better if they came to our place for a visit,” my mom said the next morning at breakfast. We were eating at the hotel before we went over to Morgan’s again, and my mom was trying to convince my dad that it was a good idea to invite Morgan and Etta to Oregon. “Her dad monopolizes the conversation and Morgan can’t seem to get a word in edgewise.”
“I didn’t notice that,” my dad replied, clearly not agreeing with her.
I didn’t agree with my mom’s opinion, either. If anything, Morgan’s dad had seemed hesitant to speak, unless he felt like his daughter needed him to step in. The man was a pro at redirecting conversation, and he did so whenever Morgan began to look uncomfortable or unsure. I respected him a lot for that. He’d clearly let his daughter take the lead, even though anyone could see how protective he was.
“There’s no hurt in asking,” Dad said, reaching out to pat Mom’s hand. “But they’re just getting settled down here, so I doubt she’ll say yes.”
He had no idea how right he was about what Morgan would think in regard to visiting Oregon. She’d never texted me back the day before, and I’d had a long time to think about what that meant and how I planned on responding.
There was only one thing I could do to salvage the situation. It felt wrong, and it killed me to do it, but I had to step back, like Ani had advised. If there was any chance of getting Morgan back to the point where she was comfortable with me again, I had to find a way to go back to being her friend, nothing more. When I’d come to the decision early that morning, I’d thought I’d feel better about it. I’d been wrong. I felt worse as I sat there listening to my parents, knowing that I had to keep my distance from the woman they were discussing.
“I bet she will,” my mom argued, snapping me back to the subject at hand. “Her sister lives in Bend. I bet we could use that as incentive.”
“You sound like a used-car salesman,” I replied, shaking my head. “Why don’t you just ask and let Morgan decide without using anything else to lure her?”
“I’m not trying to lure her,” Mom said, tilting her chin up. “I’m just trying to—”
“Lure her,” my dad cut in, laughing. He leaned over and kissed the side of Mom’s head. “Let’s just see what she says.”
Half an hour later, we were in the SUV on our way to Morgan’s dad’s house. Even though I’d assured Ani that she’d never keep Etta from us, I was still a little surprised that she hadn’t called to cancel. If I was feeling nervous about seeing her today, I couldn’t even imagine how she felt.