Page 22 of Frozen Hearts

“So, what do you think I should say to this woman?” Willow asked.

“I think you should apologize for the way you answered her last night. Then say something sweet like,you just make me so nervous. Then ask her out on a date.”

“Wait a minute. I’m not sure that I want a date.”

“As your best friend, trust me. You want a date. You just don’t realize it yet.”

“River,” Willow said, her tone wearing at the edges.

“What? You clearly do.”

“How can you know that?” Willow asked.

“Because if you were done with her you wouldn’t be obsessing over what she thinks of you,” River declared.

River was batting a thousand this morning, and Willow hated it. Willow frowned to herself. River gave her a puzzled look.

“What’s wrong?”

“It just feels too exposed,” Willow admitted.

“That’s the point,” River sighed.

“You aren’t going to win Mel over by playing hard to get,” River encouraged.

“Let me get this straight. You want me to go over there and tell Mel that I’m sorry. That I made a fool out of myself because she makes me nervous. And then ask her on a date. Is that right?” Willow asked.

She arched her eyebrow at her friend hoping she could see how ridiculous the whole thing sounded. Instead, River smiled at her pleasantly. Willow gave her a begrudging grin.

“You really think that will work?” Willow asked.

“I have no idea what will work. I think it has a really good chance. And I think getting back out there might make you happy.”

“You think so?”

“Willow, you barely get out of the house anymore. It’s time for you to open yourself back up to life. Like it or not, Mel has been the only person to bring those feelings out of you.”

Willow could only nod her head. Her thoughts swirled in her mind. She could feel the weight of her own apprehension. Willow stood from the table and stretched.

“Okay,” Willow announced.

“Okay, what?” River asked.

“Okay, I’m going to give it a try,” Willow said, she gave River a wide smile.

“That’s the spirit. I’ll stay here and wait. I want to hear everything once you get back.”

Willow laughed and shook her head. She loved the way River wanted to see this adventure through to the very end. She had folded Mel’s clothes that morning and put them on the back of her couch. Willow grabbed the clothes and shot River one more smile as she walked out the door. The walk across the street to Mel’s place may as well have been a five-mile trek. The distance seemed to loom in front of her. There was nothing Willow hated more than awkward encounters. The idea of forcing herself into an awkward situation seemed ridiculous.

Willow knocked loudly on Mel’s door. She heard a loud scramble coming from inside Mel’s home. From the other side of the door someone cursed and it sounded as though a piece of furniture fell over. The door flew open with such force that Willow took a half step back.

The woman in the doorway was not Mel. It was the woman that Willow had seen her with in the dog park. Mel had insisted the two were just friends but the woman wore a tank top and sleep shorts. It was pretty clear she had spent the night at Mel’s place. Willow tried to keep her mind from jumping toconclusions. But Willow couldn’t help considering the worst case scenario. Maybe Mel had lied about having a girlfriend. Maybe this woman and Mel were together. Or maybe they were just friends. Willow didn’t have the mental equity to figure it out on the spot.

“Can I help you?” the woman asked. Willow simply handed her the folded clothes.

“I was bringing these back to Mel,” Willow said. She didn’t like the shaking in her own voice.

“Oh, thanks. Mel is in the shower but she’ll be back in a minute if you want to wait. I’m Brianna. We sort of met the other day at the dog park,” Brianna gave a sheepish smile as she mentioned the dog park. Willow could appreciate that none of them had been at their best that day, with the exception of Mel. It had been Mel who had set the moment aside in favor of peace.

---