Chapter Thirty-Four
Simon
We’ve been back from our tournament all of about thirty minutes when Morgan and Ruby show up at the apartment with pizza. It doesn’t bother me that they are here, I can kick back and relax whether they are here or not. Plus, they brought pizza. But I also know they have only been back for a couple days from their trip to LA to see Gia.
I’m torn because I really want to hear about Gia and her new life. But for the same reason I haven’t unblocked her from Facebook or reached out to her myself, I just don’t want to hear about how awesome her new life is … without me.
Most likely though, if I’m around they will keep the details to a minimum for my sake. I grab the pizza from Morgan’s arms as they immediately go around Dex’s neck. Then the kissing starts. I shake my head and laugh because shit, they need their own place. I’m about 99 percent positive that if they had their own place right now, they wouldn’t be here, with an audience.
A groan comes from the couch. “Damn, I was looking forward to pizza but now my appetite is gone.”
Expecting Dex to shut him down, I hear a “shut up, Link” from Morgan and a laugh from Dex.
Placing the pizza box on the counter in the kitchen, I snag up two pieces, grab a Diet Coke from the fridge and head back into the living room. I get a good start on my pizza when the rest of them file in and Bernie shows up.
She hugs both girls because I guess that’s what girls do when they don’t see each other for five days. She immediately launches into all her questions about their trip. They talk about the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood sign, and the other sightseeing they did.
“And oh my goodness, Bernie, you have to see this dress Gia bought. Oh man, we went to Rodeo Drive and tried on fucking gorgeous dresses,” Ruby gushes.
“Freaking expensive dresses, but gorgeous,” Morgan adds.
“Shit, I’m gonna need a beer,” Link mutters.
“Ooh, do you have a picture? She told me about the gala she is going to. There are going to be tons of A-listers there. I’m so excited for her but also so dang jealous.” Bernie’s voice drips with excitement.
Great. So much for sparing me the details. Typically, they seem mindful of me being around. I’ve never asked them to not talk about her because they just didn’t before.
“Oh, and guess who she is having lunch with next week?” Ruby just chatters away about some hot young TV star and I want to shoot myself in the face.
I clear my throat, stand and go to the kitchen to get more pizza and a beer. Link was onto something. I’m thinking about going to my room, I stop for a moment where no one can see me, so I can listen, when I hear Morgan speaking.
“Her studio apartment is so trendy and it’s super nice. But it’s so much smaller than I was expecting.”
“Well, she told you it was small the first time she showed you via FaceTime, babe,” Dex says.
“Yeah, I know, but I was expecting it to be bigger than it seems I guess,” she replies.
I start walking back into the living room figuring out the best way to excuse myself.
“But the best part is that she’s moving back to Chicago.” I hear Ruby’s voice but when my head shoots up, my vision is a little blurry for a moment. I zero in on Ruby and she’s looking right at me with a satisfied little smile on her face. I blink and look around. I notice everyone else in the room has gone still. No one else is looking directly at me, but I can feel them waiting for my reaction. My reaction, to—
Fuck, did she say Gia was moving back?
I tilt my head in thought as Ruby continues to explain to the group, “She hates LA, so she talked to her boss about it and they worked something out with her current job. Then her boss helped her get a job with Weekly Entertainment magazine. So, she gets the best of both worlds, Chicago and her dream job.”
There is still a resounding silence in the room. As I continue to process the news, I change my trajectory and move back to my vacated seat. I continue to eat my pizza when Bernie pipes up.
“When is this move back happening?”
Morgan and Ruby briefly go into more detail and then the conversation switches to our tournament and how we did. We won of course, but none of that matters to me at this moment because all I can think about is that Gia is coming back.
They talk about how they are going to plan a welcome-home party, much like the going-away party they had. I don’t miss the way Ruby subtly informs the group that everyone must be in attendance. Then she gets serious.
“Gia hates it in LA because she’s utterly alone. She’s made some friends, but it’s not like you could ever replace the likes of us. So, this party, all of us being there—plus her other friends and her parents—it's going to mean a lot to her.”
I’ve tried to hear very little information about Gia over the last several months, I even try to ignore it when I do hear it. Honestly though, I soak it up like a sponge does water. But the one thing I don’t think I ever recall hearing is whether or not Gia was happy in her new life. I’d never wish her anything but happiness, but it never occurred to me that she might not have any. Shit, I don’t think I would have been able to move across the country on my own, for just a job, knowing no one. I kind of did, when I moved to Chicago to live with the team and go to college. But at that point, I knew Dex, Link, Bernie, and Ben pretty well. So, I already had people here I knew, which was the whole point of the move.
I’ve thought about this so many times … what I would do when Gia visits. What I would say to her. What I would do if she, for some reason, moved back. Would I try to fix things? Would I want to get back together with her? Would she want that? How long would I stay bitter? Would I still be angry and annoyed every time she came around, like I was for so long just a year ago?
I don’t know the answer to any of those questions. I do know that I miss her like crazy but at the same time, would I want to risk losing her again? A third time? History has a tendency to repeat itself when it comes to Gia. At what point does trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome just make me a fool?