Page 43 of The Jerk in Apartment 1B

“That I have nothing else to say.” I pause. “But I did agree to meet him for coffee.”

Callie sighs. “I wish you hadn’t done that.”

“I know, but he kept pressuring me, and it’s just coffee. He wanted to go to dinner, but that seemed like a date, so I told him no. And then I took control and picked the time and place. We’re meeting tomorrow morning at a place close to here, which means he’ll have to miss a few hours of work. I didn’t think he’d agree to it, but he did.”

“Because he wants you back.”

“You think so?” I ask, feeling a surge of hope, even though I know I shouldn’t.

“I don’t know why else he’d be doing this. If he had something to say, he could’ve said it over the phone.”

“I told him that, but he insisted on seeing me.” I sit down on my inflatable bed. “What do you think I should do? Is it really that bad to meet him for coffee?”

“If you still have feelings for him? Yes. And I know you still do.”

“I don’t want to, but you’re right. I still love him.” I lay down and stare up at the cracked ceiling.

“Then maybe you should cancel tomorrow. It’s too soon to be seeing him. Even months from now might be too soon, especially if you’re still single.”

“I’ll definitely be single. I’ve decided I’m not dating for at least a year.”

“A year? Trina, that’s way too long. You need to get out there and meet someone.”

“So I can have my heart broken again? No thanks.”

“You don’t have to get serious with the guy. Just go out and date. Have fun.”

“You sound just like Scott.”

“Who’s Scott?”

“The guy who lives next door. He said I shouldn’t let what happened with Asher keep me from dating because I might miss out on the guy I’m supposed to be with.” I huff. “As if that guy exists.”

“He does. And your neighbor is right. You can’t let Asher keep you from going out there and finding someone better.”

“I’m not. I just need time. Time for me. Time to figure things out.”

“If that’s why you don’t want to date, then I support that. But if you’re doing it to avoid getting hurt? I can’t go along with that.”

“Callie, you did the same thing. You pushed Nash away for an entire summer because you were afraid of getting hurt.”

“I was afraid of getting close to him and then losing him, the way I lost my family. That’s different. And I was in such a bad place back then, Trina. You saw how I was when you came to visit. I could barely get out of bed. Your situation is totally different. I know you can’t see it now, but you have so much going for you. You’re in the city you’ve always wanted to live in. You have a degree in fashion. You’ve made friends there. And if you ever wanted to leave and come home, you have a family that would love to have you back. And me, of course. I’m not giving up on my campaign to get you to move back.”

I miss Callie so much. Even though she’s far away, I feel closer to her now than I did when we were in high school. Back then, all we talked about was clothes and makeup—never anything that mattered. Then her family died and we stopped talking. That was my fault. I didn’t know what to say to her. She was all alone, unable to move past her grief, and I didn’t knowhow to help her. When I went to see her the summer she met Nash, I couldn’t believe my eyes. She was living in a house filled with her dead family’s things, like they were still there. I freaked out and yelled at her, which caused us to have a huge fight. It was awful, but if it hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t be close like we are now.

I guess that’s proof something good can come from something bad. But I’m not sure what good can come from Asher and me breaking up. I’m not able to see it. Instead, I just see what could’ve been, the future I had planned for us. And if I’m being honest, part of me still wants that.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Trina

“I don’t want to cancel tomorrow,” I say to Callie. “I already said I’d be there and, honestly, I want to hear what he has to say.”

“What if he asks you to move back? What are you going to tell him?”

“I don’t know,” I say, although my first thought was yes, I’d love to move back. I’m living in a closet-sized apartment and sleeping on the floor. But I can’t use that as a reason to move back in with Asher.

“Trina, think about what he did. Do you really want to be with him after that?”

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