Page 65 of The Boyfriend List
"She loves you," I say. I barely get the words out.
"AndIloveyou!" he says. "I love you, Gloria Romero, and I'm not about to let anyone get between us."
"Even your family?" I say.
He's silent for a moment. "No, Gloria. Not even my family."
London's arms wrap around me, and my composure melts faster than an ice cube dropped into a pot of boiling soup.
"I'm sorry she said that to you," he murmurs into my hair. "You are so much more than enough for me. You're everything I've ever wanted, everything I didn't know I needed."
I want to believe his words. But I don't know if I can.
Walking into the McMann and Ma gym the next Saturday morning, to my surprise I spy Raina there, wearing a cute athleisure outfit despite her baby bump. Sasha is next to her, holding an iced matcha. Raina’s sipping from a water bottle, and her eyes light up when she sees me.
"Hey!" She practically skips over in her running shoes, Sasha close behind.
“Hey, guys. What are the two of you doing at my office gym?" I ask as we walk toward the locker room. I throw my stuff into a locker and lock it with the combination: London's birthday, April twenty-first.
Sasha answers first. “I was dragged here because Raina promised to make me an iced matcha. So now I have to fulfill my end of the bargain.”
"I bought a monthly pass because the doctor told me to do more yoga and Pilates in my third trimester," Raina says, making a face as she says the last two words. She prefers Zumba or other cardio, as opposed to slower, more gentle workouts. "Your gym has both of those classes, and I've been goingstir-crazy these past few weeks with nothing to do while Kostas is working on his business."
"Can I join you two?" I ask. I wanted to do a Zumba class, but I've never tried Pilates before. Plus, I'd love the chance to talk to my friends. Especially about the whole London situation and what happened last night.
"Of course!" Sasha says as the three of us walk together toward the Pilates studio.
We set up, grabbing mats, light pink dumbbells, and resistance bands, then wait for the instructor to show up.
"So, what happened last night after karaoke?" Sasha asks. She unfurls her yoga mat next to Raina’s, which is to the right of mine. "You and London seemed pretty into the duet. I have to say, he did a surprisingly good job of belting Adele."
I laugh at the memory despite what happened after that. "He did tell me he used to be in choir when he was in high school."
"Oh, London Boy’s choir background definitely shows." Raina laughs.
I repeat everything that London said on the way back to the car. “I’m not sure how to feel about it, still. His family…”
"He's a family man," Raina says.
"He'd give up anything for them. And I don't see how I can compete with that." I stare down at a piece of lint on my leggings. "His family sounds pretty toxic from what he's told me, but he’d still never give up on them or cut ties. I can respect that in a way, but…"
"You wish he wouldn't?" Sasha asks. "You wish hewouldgive them up for you?"
"I don't want him to give his family up for me," I say automatically. "I would never ask him to give up anyone he loves for me."
"But what if both you and his family needed him at the same time?" Raina asks.
“I don’t know.” And that hurts more than anything.
She's about to say something more when the instructor enters the room and says, "Alright, who's ready for Pilates today?"
I lose myself in the movements as we warm up with a few stretches and light cardio, then move on to glute exercises with resistance bands. The instructor prompts us to 'feel the burn', which I do in muscles I didn't even know I had.
"This is almost as hard as horseback riding," I whisper to Raina.
She chuckles. "When did you go horseback riding?"
"With London," I say.
