Page 72 of Just Another Meet Cute
Linh nodded and put a cotton swab on each side. A mischievous grin crossed her face. “Although, if we’re going to be technical, I think Ryan should get an extra point for all his swoony muscles.”
“Linh!”
“Are you going to pretend like youhaven’tnoticed them? I’ve seen you hold on to his arms more than once.”
My mouth opened and closed, but since she was right, I gave Ryan an extra point.
“Who has a better personality?”
“Ryan.” She started to put one down on his side, when I held up a hand to stop her. “But I do like to talk to Ian. When we’re not fighting, we actually get along really well …”
“Then Ryan gets one for being nicer, but Ian has more of a connection.” She dropped one on each side and tapped on her chin. “What else? Ryan can cook.”
“So can Ian. I mean, that’s what he told me. And he’s referencedTop Chefat least twice, so he probably watches that show.”
“Oh, he obviously has good taste then. Okay, then that one should go to Ian.”
“Ryan should get an extra one because he likes me, while Ian …” I broke off and shook my head. “I don’t know how he feels about me.”
Linh nodded and slid a swab onto Ryan’s pile. “Then Ryan should get one for being honest about his feelings. He’s straightforward. It sure makes things easier.”
“Definitely.”
“We don’t even need to count up the points. It’s obvious that Ryan wins.” She glanced over at me. “Are you okay with that?”
I glanced back and forth at the two piles. She was right. It was clear who the winner was. “That’s pretty much what I expected anyway. Ryan is an awesome guy.”
But then so was Ian. It was hard to compare the two. On paper, Ryan was so much better. But sometimes things weren’t as clear-cut, and it couldn’t be sorted out on a list. Did Ian get an extra point because he seemed to know me better? But I’d only started to open up to Ryan, and he was just as easy to talk to. And Ian was super sarcastic, but sometimes that wasn’t such a bad thing.
The more I stared at the cotton swabs, the more confused I became. It was like two parts of me wanted different things, different people.
“I don’t know. I just … don’t.”
Linh gave me a sympatric smile and patted my shoulder. “If you don’t know, then I thinkthatmight be your answer. It doesn’t matter who has the most swabs if you don’t even care.”
It made sense, but that wasn’t the answer I wanted.
“You forgot about Megan,” I said with a sigh.
“Uh, is she a point for or against Ian?” She picked up another swab.
“She’s someone who could wipe out all his points.” At the blank look on her face, I took the cotton swab out of her hand. “Hypothetically, what if what I want is already taken by someone else?” I reached out and moved Ian’s pile out of the way. Almost out of my reach. “Or worse, it’s waiting for that someoneelse, and I’d be a mistake along the way. And then I’m left behind in the end.”
“Okay, first of all, you think way too much. And second, instead of thinking of all these hypotheticals and what-ifs, why don’t you just go ahead and ask him?” Linh crossed her arms and leaned against the back of the door so I couldn’t escape.
With a sigh, I gathered up all the cotton swabs and shoved them back into the box. “Do you ever wonder if our parents’ failed relationships screwed up our own love lives?”
“You mean, if I’m traumatized by my dad ditching us?”
“Kind of.”
“Nope, not at all, because I would never fall in love with someone like my dad.” She shrugged. “I love my mom, but he sucked. No, sucks, present tense, because I know he’s still a bad person somewhere in the world. And technically, your parents didn’t have a failed marriage. They’re trying to make it work now.”
“Considering everything that happened, I don’t know if we could count it as a successful one. Love shouldn’t be that hard,” I said with a frown.
“There’s no rule on how love should be.” Linh tilted her head to left and pursed her lips together. “But you would prefer the easier route.”
“What do you mean?”
