24.
ELIZABETH
Daniel called my cell phone three times before I finally turned it off, my heart unable to deal with whatever he needed to say to me tonight. I hopped in the shower and allowed my tears to fall.
How could I have been so stupid as to think someone like Daniel would ever be a one-woman kind of guy?
He’d told me that he ended things with those other women, and I’d simply believed him, no questions asked.
Why?
I knew the answer, but it made me feel stupid inside. I wanted to be special. When we’d talked the night we met about girls wanting to be different to a guy, that was exactly what Daniel had convinced me I was, and I’d bought into it completely. It hurt. I hurt. Before Daniel, I’d shut myself off from feeling vulnerable for so long that this seemed like it might crush me from the weight.
I sucked in a raspy breath and settled into bed before reaching for my iPod and noise-canceling headphones. Music always soothed me, and tonight, I needed it more than I ever had before.
When I woke up the next morning, I was reluctant to switch on my cell. For a minute, I wondered if I could exist an entire day without it. Deciding that probably wasn’t the best idea, I turned it on and watched as it powered up. A lengthy text message from Daniel appeared, telling me that Ben had it all wrong. Daniel wanted to explain things to me, and he begged me not to jump to conclusions.
Too late.
I had already jumped headfirst into that picture Ben had shown me and into the words he had said.
When I exited my apartment door, I almost stepped on the white rose lying across my blue doormat. He had been here? When?
Apparently, my headphones had helped drown out more than just my feelings.
****
Barbara’s long legs walked into my office, and then she plopped down on my couch with a thud.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, hoping for any conversation other than the kind that revolved around Daniel.
“I had a shitty date last night. Please tell me all about how fabulous yours was with Mr. Perfect, so I can be insanely jealous.”
Avoiding all things Daniel didn’t last long. I forced a smile. “Mr. Perfect? More like Mr. I’m Still Dating Other Women.”
Her eyes widened as she leaned forward. “Excuse me? He’s what?”
“We had the most amazing dinner. The conversation, the food—it was…” I struggled to find the right word without being cliché. “Perfect. It was perfect.”
“So, what happened?”
“We walked outside and ran into Ben.”
Her jaw dropped. “Ben, Ben? Like, your ex Ben?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh my God. Is that the first time you’ve seen him since college?”
Sucking in a quick breath, I moved my hand toward my upset stomach. “Yeah. Can you believe that? Anyway, he pulled me aside—”
“Ben pulled you aside?” she interrupted, clearly wanting to get all the facts straight.
I nodded. “So, he pulled me aside and asked me what I was doing there with Daniel.”
“What the fuck business is it of his? Wait—he knows Daniel? How does he know Daniel?” Her brows pulled together with her sudden confusion.
“If you’d let me finish, then you could stop giving yourself wrinkles.”
Her expression immediately softened as she rubbed a finger across the bridge of her nose like she could erase any creases that wanted to form there. “Finish.”
“So, Ben pulled me aside and asked me what I was doing there with Daniel. I told him it was none of his business, but he told me that Daniel was his business. I asked him why that was, and he said because Daniel was dating his sister!”
“No.” Her head started shaking with her disbelief. “Nope. I don’t believe it.”
“Ben showed me a picture of them together.”
“So what? Were they fucking in said picture?”
I choked out a breath. “No.”
“Were they kissing?” she continued, her tone completely unconvinced.
“No.”
“What were they doing then?”
“Just sitting there with their faces squished together. They looked cozy, friendly. Whatever. They looked like more than friends,” I all but shouted.
Barbara rose to her feet. “Have you talked to him? How did things end?”
“I left.”
“With or without Daniel?”
“Without.”
“And you haven’t talked to him since, have you?”
I shook my head. “I feel like an idiot. I was hurting. I believed Daniel when he said he called off his arrangements. I fell for his charm and his stupid hot face.”
“Elizabeth, you don’t need to feel stupid unless you don’t give him a chance to explain his side of things. I understand that this is all new to you, but you can’t run away from him like you’re a child. He isn’t Ben, and you’re not the same girl you were when Ben cheated on you.You’re a grown woman, so act like it.”
“Jeez, Barbara, easy on the tough love. I’m a little rusty.”
“Sorry. I just really like Daniel. I, for one, don’t think he’s lying to you. I know a bullshitter when I meet one. While I think he could bullshit with the best of them, I don’t think he does when it comes to you. But you’ll never know if you don’t talk to him like grown-ups do. Be a grown-up.”
“Being a grown-up is dumb,” I whined.
“Running away is dumber.”