Page 25 of How to Date a Younger Man
I wave good-bye to Layne as I pull out of the driveway. Watching her turn to head back into her big, empty house gives me a sinking feeling in my stomach. But I shouldn’t feel bad. Layne’s an adult and doesn’t need me to watch over her, but something about her seemed more vulnerable today than usual. Then again, why do I care so much? She’s made it clear that she can handle herself.
My mind is still on Layne as I pull up to Cora’s place. I stopped on the way to get her a sorry I skipped out on our date treat that will hopefully make up for not spending more time with her on her one free night.
I use the spare key to let myself into the apartment, calling out as I walk in.
“Hey, babe,” I say into the hallway, but the apartment is silent. “I know I’m late, but I got your favorite chocolate chip cookies to make it up to you.”
I step into the living room, where Cora is sitting on the couch, and get the sense that something’s wrong. She’s giving me a look I can’t quite read. She sniffles quietly, and her eyes seem a little puffy.
“Cora, what’s wrong?” I ask, quickly walking over to the couch to give her a kiss.
When she stares straight ahead without kissing me back, it confirms that something’s wrong. She’s usually the affectionate one when we see each other, and is almost never in a bad mood. One of the things I like about her is how upbeat she always is. It’s freaking me out that Cora’s like this, and I hope I’m not going to have to do damage control because I missed our date.
She gives me a strange look. “What happened? Where were you?”
“Didn’t you get my text? I just got caught up with moving, and then Layne was upset, so I felt bad leaving her alone,” I say, taking a seat next to Cora on the couch.
She turns to me, her brown eyes welling with tears. “Why couldn’t Kristen stay with her?”
At the suspicion in her voice, I stiffen, furrowing my brow. “She and Layne’s mom had already left. It just sort of came up as we were finishing moving. What’s this about?” I ask gently. Whatever Cora’s thinking, I don’t want to escalate it by getting upset.
“I just don’t see why you had to cancel our plans to spend more time with Layne. You know this is my one free night this week.”
The coldness in Cora’s voice makes dread settle into my stomach. Trying to keep my voice even, I say, “Look, Layne needed me. If a friend needed you, I’d never get mad at you for canceling our plans to be there for them.”
The truth is, I feel totally blindsided. I don’t get why Cora’s being so weird about this. She’s always saying how important it is that we have our own lives in addition to our life together.
“Are you sure you were just helping a friend tonight, Griff?” she asks, and her voice sounds like it’s about to break. “Or is it more than that?”
Shit. So this is what’s bothering her.
“Are you trying to insinuate that I’m cheating on you with Layne?” I ask in a measured tone. Trying not to get upset, I take a deep breath. I’ve never given Cora a reason to think I’d be unfaithful. I’m not the kind of guy who would do that, and the fact that she’s suggesting I am hurts.
“No, Griffin, I don’t think you’d cheat on me. You’re a good guy,” she says, and the look in her eyes is heartbreaking. “That’s what makes this so hard.”
“Makes what so hard? What are you trying to say?”
Cora lets out a long breath, brushing her dark hair back from her face. “When we were first dating and you’d always talk about Layne, I thought it was cute. I thought you just looked up to her or something, as your sister’s successful best friend. But now I’m not so sure. You’ll drop everything to spend time with her, even for something shitty like helping her move.” She looks into my eyes as a tear runs down her cheek. “I think you’re more into her than you are into me. I’ve thought it for a while. I just didn’t want to admit it.”
Totally dumbstruck, I stare at her. I had no idea she felt this way. I genuinely like being with Cora, but a little niggle in the back of my mind keeps me from denying what she’s saying.
The truth is, I do still have feelings for Layne. I thought I just needed to meet someone else so I could get over her, but I’ve been with Cora for a while and nothing has changed.
Do I still want Layne? Abso-fucking-lutely. But will she give me the time of day? No, I’m sure she wouldn’t. Which is why I moved on because what other choice did I have? But Cora’s still staring at me, and my silence is all the response she needs.
