The smile on Troy’s face tells me he’s very pleased with my plans. “You’re finally gonna do it?”

I take a long pull on my bottle of Barley Legal Double IPA. “I know. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m still nervous as fuck.”

Steve, the bartender in the Barley Legal pub, exchanges my empty bottle for a fresh, cold one. I nod at him and he goes back to pouring some pints for a group of girls who came in on one of those Portland brewery bike tours. Not that I don’t appreciate the extra business, but riding around on a bike while drinking beer all day sounds like a good way to get hit by a bus.

“So when are you gonna do it? Can I get it on video?”

I shake my head. “Tessa’s gonna flip. It might be a good idea for someone to be outside in case she pulls out a gun or something. I don’t know what the fuck she’s been doing behind my back, but I could totally see her at the gun range aiming at a poster of me.”

“Dude, she’s crazier than a coked-up raccoon. You’d better watch yourself.”

“I can handle Tessa. And she’s not crazy, she’s sick.”

“Whatever.” He takes a few gulps from his glass of double bock. “You didn’t ask me what happened when I ran into Rory the other day.”

“I assumed you were probably scheming to sway her in my direction. I didn’t send you there by mistake.”

“You fucking bastard.”

I shrug as I bring the bottle to my lips. “I need all the help I can get.”

“That’s what friends are for,” he replies.

“Interesting. When I was with your mom last night, she said friends are for cock-gobbling.”

Troy strokes his chin as if he’s considering this. “That is interesting because your mom said friends are for enemas. Followed by sweet backdoor action, of course.”

“Of course.” I leave half my beer in the bottle and slide off the bar stool. “I’ll see you tomorrow, brother.”

“Good luck, man.”

It’s eleven a.m. when I leave the pub. As I open the door to get into the SUV, I spot a silver Lexus that looks like Tessa’s parked at the end of the block. I can’t be sure, but it doesn’t look like there’s anyone sitting in the driver’s seat. I shake my head as I hop into my car. There must be dozens of silver Lexuses in this area at any given time. I’m being paranoid.

I’ve only had one and a half beers, so I decide to drive by Wallace Park to see if Rory is still there with her dog. Seeing her will give me the motivation I need to break away from Tessa.

Being with Rory two nights ago was like being myself again after five years of pretending to be someone else. I finally felt like I was living more than half a life. The worst part is that I didn’t even realize I was living in black and white until I bumped into Rory two weeks ago. Now I can’t get the color of her hair and the taste of her skin out of my head.

I want to carve out a place for her in my life, sow the seeds of trust, and watch our story grow. I want to stir up the ideas in her mind and drink in the tales she’ll tell me into the early hours of the morning.

I want to bore into her, physically and mentally, unearthing every glistening jewel of pleasure and pain. I want to take her to bed every night and worship at the altar of her hushed beauty. I want to lose myself in the luscious curves of her hips and the delicate scent of her skin.

I want to slide that ring on her finger and kiss her madly in front of hundreds of people. I want to have a family with her. I want to make her deliriously happy.

I turn left on Raleigh Street and quickly find a space for my car across from the park on the corner of Raleigh and 25th. I cross the street, trying to peek through the trees and the wire mesh fence surrounding the dog park, but I don’t see anyone. I head through the waist-high gate and I finally glimpse some people and dogs in the grassy open field. I spot the black Labrador first, which has to be Rory’s dog, Skippy. He’s playing with a tan dog that appears to be some kind of shepherd mix. My gaze follows the dogs as they run, tongues wagging, toward an area shaded by some trees.

I’m about twenty yards from the trees when the black Lab collides with Rory. She orders the dog to sit, but I quickly lose sight of what she’s doing when I notice the guy standing next to her. It’s the guy who went to her apartment the other night.

A roaring wave of jealousy swells inside me, flooding my veins with pure adrenaline. My fists are urging me to destroy him, the one thing standing between Rory and me and everything we’ve ever wanted. But my brain is yelling at me, Down, boy. Sit. Stay.

I approach slowly, consciously trying not to clench my fists so I don’t look too intimidating. Rory spots me when I’m a few yards away. Her eyes widen and she drops the dog treat in her hand, which the tan dog quickly snatches up.

“Houston?” she says, her voice breathy with shock.

She glances at the guy next to her and he refuses to look at me, but the sight of the muscle in his jaw twitching drives me over the edge. This asshole thinks I’m inconveniencing him? He’s the one infringing on my territory.

“Is there a problem?” I ask, my voice taut with tension.

Rory opens her mouth to respond when she realizes I’m not talking to her. “No!” she shouts, as if we’re two dogs who can be called off each other with a simple command. “No, this is not happening here, or anywhere, so just come off it.”

I tear my gaze away from the hipster lumberjack and look Rory in the eye. “We need to talk.”

I nod for her to follow me and she calls Skippy to join us as we walk a few yards away. “Houston, this is not what you think it is. Liam is just a friend.”

“It doesn’t matter what you think it is. What matters is what he thinks it is. And he doesn’t think you two are just friends.”

“You’re misreading this. Really.”

I gaze into her hazel eyes, searching for a trace of deceit, but Rory has always been the most honest person I know. She really thinks they’re just friends.

“I’m leaving Tessa tonight.”

She draws in a sharp breath. “Tonight?”

“Yeah. I need to know if you’re ready to do this. Just you and me. See where the story takes us.”

She smiles and nods as her eyes well up with tears. “I’m ready.”

I cradle her face in my hands and kiss her forehead. “I’ll tell you everything tomorrow.” I kiss her cheekbone and she grabs the front of my shirt. “Then I hope you’ll let me put that ring on your finger.”

She exhales a soft sigh into my mouth as I kiss her slowly. I let go of her face and smile when I see the far-off look in her eyes.

“How do you do that?” she murmurs.

I crouch down and scratch Skippy behind the ears as he licks my face. “Do what?”

“Make me forget where I am.”

I smile as I look up at her. “That’s because everywhere we’re together is the only place and the only moment that exists.”