Page 11 of Tenderfoot

“Babe,” he murmured, not moving but tracking my movements closely, that look on his face demanding to be let into my brain as I battened the hatches to keep it out.

I continued to keep my eyes on him as I backed down my hall to my bedroom, just as Javi continued to watch me.

I closed the door between us and locked it, not that it would keep him out if he wanted to get in.

But he didn’t try to get in.

I didn’t hear the front door close, so to make my point, I did what any self-respecting girl would do.

I dug my phone out of my clutch, opened my Sonos app to the apartment-wide speaker system that, yes, my father bought me for Christmas, and it was expensive, and I activated it.

I then played Taylor Swift’s “The Prophecy,” because everyone knew Tay-Tay could say it better than anyone.

I didn’t know if Javi got it.

I just knew, when the song was over, I heard the front door slam.

And that was when I threw myself on my bed and did what came naturally.

I let myself be weak.

Which meant I shoved my face in my comforter…

And I sobbed.

TWO

“THE 1”

(TAYLOR SWIFT)

It didn’t take long for a knock to come at my bedroom door.

I knew it wasn’t Javi.

I was proved correct when I heard Jessie call, “Harlow, are you okay?”

No.

No, I was not okay.

The most beautiful man with the biggest heart I’d ever met, a man who I could easily convince myself I was already half in love with, didn’t have a big enough heart to fit me in it and he didn’t have any compunction about sharing that with me.

So yeah.

No.

I was not okay.

I heard Jessie try the door.

Thus, I sniffled back my tears, pushed up from my bed, swiped at my eyes (coming away with a false eyelash…fabulous) and got off my bed.

I opened the door.

My bestest bestie of all my besties, Jessie, stood there, the rest of my besties at her back.

At one look at me, Shanti’s and Willow’s eyes got huge.

---