Page 91 of Just Another Meet Cute
Speaking of Ollie, it must be nice to be able to erase your feelings so easily. No matter what I did or who I was with, the last conversation with Ian danced in the back of my mind. I finally understood what Linh meant when she said that I had never been in love before.
But whoever said that it’s better to have loved and lost than never loved at all was a freaking idiot.
Seeing the tears in my eyes again, Linh quickly changed the subject again. “Are you excited about seeing the house with your parents tomorrow?”
Letting out a deep breath to steady my emotions, I nodded. “It looks nice from the pictures that Mom showed me online. Hopefully a new place will help us start over.”
“It’s kind of ironic how you have to move back home in order to start over.” Linh leaned her head against my shoulder, even though she had to hunch her back to reach me. “I’m glad to have you guys here again. I’ve missed you.”
My cheek pressed against the top of her head. The strands that escaped her bun tickled my nose, making me forget about my problems for a minute. “I’m excited to be home, too. Hopefully Aunt Sarah feels the same way.”
“Oh, she definitely does. The other day at dinner, she started to say something bad about your dad, but then she stopped herself and changed the subject. Twice.”
I let out a low whistle. “I guess miracles can happen.”
“I know, right?” She chewed on her lower lip. “What are you going to do about Ryan?”
“I know I have to talk to him, and I will.” I swallowed at the lump in my throat that appeared every time I thought about Ryan. My heartbreak may be Ian’s fault, but Ryan didn’t do anything wrong. And just the thought of hurting him made me feel worse, if that was even possible. “It’s the right thing to do, but right now, I just—I don’t know if I can just yet.”
“Then don’t.” Suddenly straightening up, Linh grabbed both of my hands and dragged me off the bed. “Come on. We’re going to watch some TV in the living room until you’re so tired that you won’t even have the energy to cry anymore.”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to watch a rom-com or one of those Hallmark movies …”
“Who said we’re going to watch those? We’re going to watch an entire season ofLaw & Orderuntil your little love life will seem like minor first-world problems compared to what they’re dealing with.”
Weird as her plan was, it did sound kind of nice. If there was anything to get my mind off my sad love life, it would be criminal trials and murders. Especially when Linh tossed in an unopened package of Girl Scout Thin Mints that she was saving for a Super Special Emergency.
Heartbreak definitely qualified on that list.
We were barely through the theme song of the first episode when Linh leaned closer to me. “So, I have to ask just this once: Do they kiss the same?”
I dropped the half-eaten Thin Mint onto my lap. “Linh!”
“What? It’s not every day that I could ask someone this. You’re the only person I know who’s dated brothers. Not to mentiontwins.” She made a face like she smelled something bad. “Was it weird? It had to be weird. I mean, they have the same face. The same lips. You’re basically kissing the same guy.”
My left eyebrow rose. “I thought we were supposed to be getting my mind off Ian?”
Nodding, she snuggled into her blanket. “You’re right. I’ll ask at another time when the pain isn’t as fresh.”
If that would ever happen.
With a sigh, I pulled my own blanket up to my shoulders and curled up against the arm of the couch. There was a dead girl in the park and the police were gathering up the suspects, but I couldn’t concentrate on anything but Linh’s question.
It should have been weird, but it wasn’t. Maybe because I stopped thinking of them as twins a long time ago. To me, they were two different people. Ryan was the perfect guy in practically every way.
But I didn’t need perfect. I just wanted someone who understood me. Who made me want to take risks and be something more. Do more with my life. And that was Ian, without counting his kiss. Ian’s kisses were like something in the movies, where music played in the background and flower petals fell in slow motion and time practically stopped until it was only the two of us. Like we were the only ones who mattered.
Or at least that’s how I felt.
Moving slowly so Linh wouldn’t notice, I used the edge of my blanket to dab at the fresh tears that suddenly slid down my cheeks again.
Even if my little love lifewasa minor first-world problem, it still sucked.
It was four o’clock as I sat in the middle of the sidewalk, staring up at the house that could be ours. I’d already been here for over twenty minutes and the longer I sat here the more I could almost imagine living here. And it was … nice.
Actually, it was better than nice. The house was super cute and pretty, like it was cut out from a magazine.
It was recently renovated so everything looked bright and fresh. A modern cottage with a big garage on the side. It was a one-and-a-half-story gray brick house with dark gray, almost bluish, window siding and shingles. But the columns and windows were bright white, with white grids to contrast with the darker, moodier colors. And there was a cute little bay window right in the front where I could see a window seat inside the primary bedroom.
