Page 52 of You & Me: Part One

Georgia: Hey, I have to run, but we’ll talk soon and thanks again for agreeing to coffee.

You would think the high school quarterback had just asked me to prom, not that I had just gotten a handful of platonic text messages from the guy whose heart I broke. I am so giddy I can’t even stand it! I’m bouncing around the house and singing a little JT to Frank, and not even caring if Mickey walked in and caught me. I haven’t felt like this in years.

A few minutes go by and then I’m blessed with the sound of another ping!

Georgia: Just got an email from Mick that the crew is coming over Saturday for a BBQ. Some sort of housewarming party. You gonna be there?

Gracie: Well, this is the first I’m hearing about it but I’m sure I’ll be there. I don’t have any other plans for Saturday night.

Georgia: Good to know.

Gracie: Are you making fun of me and my lack of a social life?

Georgia: Nope, just happy to hear that you’ll be there.

Gracie: Me too.

Lost Stars

Jonathan

I can’t believe it’s almost eight o’clock and I am just now on my way to Mick’s! I’ve been looking forward to this for three days and then I get ordered to work overtime on my day off! I’m sure we were below minimums because everybody took the time off to be at Mick’s BBQ. It’s really a housewarming, but dudes don’t have housewarmings, so he’s calling it a BBQ.

Since seeing Emily on Wednesday I’ve been living in my own little world. Spending time with her that day was like taking in air for the first time in years. Every text that we’ve exchanged in the last three days has started my heart beating again. I feel like the dark cloud that hasn’t left me alone since she walked away from me that day is finally starting to lift a bit.

Our texts have been everything from the mundane about doing laundry or walking the dog, to moments that give me hope that she still feels even just a little bit of what I still feel for her. The conversation that gives me the most hope, but also scares the shit out of me, was from last night as we were saying goodnight.

Gracie: I really can’t believe that you remembered exactly how I like my coffee . . .

Georgia: I remember everything about you and about that week.

I got nervous when a few minutes went by before her next reply. Way to go Jonathan, scare her away already. Just as I pick up my phone to type some sort of apology, I hear the alert I’d been waiting for.

Gracie: You still a simple Americano guy?

She fucking remembers too. It’s not just me! Now how do I play this? What the hell, I might as well go for it.

Georgia: Yep and I still love chocolate ice cream . . .

Right now I am picturing that magnificent blush of hers slowly crossing her features as the memories of our week floods back to her. I hope I haven’t crossed a line but it’s killing me to know if she’s pushing me into the friend zone or if I’m ever going to have a chance at something more with her. When five minutes has passed I realize I might have crossed that invisible line. I tell myself to wait another five minutes and if she doesn’t reply I will.

With just a minute to spare she puts me out of my misery. I see the tiny bubbles start moving on my phone’s screen that tells me she is in the process of writing me back. What I read next is not at all what I was expecting . . .

Gracie: I’m ready to tell you what I couldn’t in the past. I don’t want to move forward with our friendship in any way without you knowing. I’m not the same person I was when we met, Jonathan and I want you to decide for yourself if you want to continue a friendship or anything else between the two of us. Do you think we can try to get some time to talk when you’re here tomorrow night?

Georgia: Of course.

Gracie: Ok, good. See you tomorrow. Goodnight.

Georgia: See you tomorrow.

I typed and re-typed my reply to her message and finally just decided to keep it simple. I want her to know how much it means to me that she trusts me enough to tell me whatever her big secret is. At the same time, it stirs up emotions that anger me and make me want to scream, why couldn’t you have told me then?! Until I know what’s going on I think simple is best.

Now, here I am driving like a maniac to get to her. The adrenaline that is coursing through my body is practically making me shake. I can’t wait to see her but I’m scared to death to hear what she has to tell me. Our only communication today was when I texted to tell her I had gotten called in and that I would be late getting there. I hate that there were hours that I could have been with her that were wasted.

As I pull on to Mick’s street, I can see that my theory was correct and that everybody and their brother took today off. There are cars lining both sides of the street. I find a spot about a block away and take a couple of breaths before I get out of my truck.

Walking down the sidewalk, I feel so amped that my hands are shaking and I have to put my hands in my shorts pockets to try to contain them. Just knowing that sometime tonight I will finally have the answers I’ve been needing has me going out of my mind. I have no idea what she’s going to tell me or if it will change my mind about her, like she said it would when we met, but I still have to know. I’m not sure if she knows how much her inability to trust her secrets with me all those years ago hurt me. I know I can’t dwell on that right now so I shake it off and walk around the side of the house to the backyard where I can hear voices.

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