Page 35 of Ripped & Shipped
“I totally see that happening,” Meg deadpans.
“Do you?”
She looks at me with a modified eye roll and chuffs out a laugh. “No. I most definitely don’t. He avoids social media and cameras like he’s allergic to them. Which is what makes this whole night so out of left field.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “But he seemed to be enjoying himself.”
“That’s what it looked like to me too.”
Meg’s eyes meet mine. She looks at me with this particular expression she gets when she’s going to spear me with a hard truth or make me hold a mirror up to myself.
“So, you like showing off the men, but that still begs the question: Do the local guys love being props on your posts?”
I pause. Maybe five years ago I’d have been able to dismiss that sort of inquisition. But I’m getting older. Maybe wiser. For sure more sensitive.
“Maybe not.”
Meg’s eyes soften. “You are awesome. I hope you know that. You’ve built something most people like you strive to achieve, and the majority of them never do. You’ve poured your heart, soul, and talent into creating your platform. I get that you have to play things up to be where you are and keep growing. I really, really get that. I’m just saying, maybe Chris isn’t avoiding you as much as he’s avoiding your camera.”
“Maybe.”
Meg’s an optimist. She’s been as over-the-top as I have in the past. When she tried to get back with Trevor, welp, that was an epic disaster. And when the new doctor moved into town, she came onto him in a way that made even me cringe.
Okay, I’ll admit I tried to film my medical appointment during his first month here. He was having nothing to do with that. And he gave my poodle purse the evil eye. I’m still not completely over that. Trust me. That purse is epic. But I didn’t out-and-out flirt with the man.
Anyway, that’s all water under the bridge. Meg’s stable now. She’s barely a shadow of her old self—and that shadow’s nothing but sweetness and encouragement when it comes to me and my work. It’s amazing what having a supportive man in her life has done for Meg. I don’t know if Joe’s the one she’ll settle down with forever, but there’s no doubt he’s been good for her.
No matter how hard I try to sop up Meg’s positive outlook on what could happen between me and Chris, I just can’t quite get there. Friendship is a far cry from having a night out on neutral ground where Chris was merely helping me because he saw how desperate I was.
Chris and I are what we are. I’m not about to waltz into town thinking we’re going to meet up for coffee and hang out, or assume I could just call him if my car stalls out so he could come give me a jump.
It’s not happening.
I made it clear that I knew the score, just to save myself from hoping, and to save Chris from any sense of obligation he’d feel to suddenly act differently around me.
Social lines around here are more firm than Aria Pilates Goddess’ glutes. And that’s firm, let me tell you.
After Meg goes up to bed, I stay awake reading and answering comments. People loved us—loved Chris. I mean, there’s the usual,Hey, you're hot, stuff from guys who act like they’ve never seen a woman who takes care of herself before. They’re mostly harmless. If they get out of hand, I block them. End of. As always, there are a few haters in the mix too.Who wants to watch you eat? Get a life.That kind of thing. I ignore the creeps and the negative comments.
Before I go to bed, I decide my ego can handle rejection if it comes to that, so I reach out to Drake and Genesis to try to reschedule.
@Fab-U-lous_EllaMae
Hey, you two, I’m just reaching out to see what might work for a reschedule. Let me know what you have in mind and I’ll check my calendar to see if it works on my end. Peace, Love, and Positive Vibes ~ E.M.
I like what I wrote. It says I’m someone who should be considered. I have a life. I shouldn’t be brushed off so easily. It’s not a confrontation, but it’s a statement of my worth. And, I leave off with all the good. No hard feelings. I smile at myself for taking the high road.
I’m about to put my phone ondo not disturbfor the night so I can go start my skin care routine, when a message notification pings.
@DrakesDaMan
Hey, Ella Mae.
My sister asked me to the movies and I completely spaced on the collab. I hope Gen reimbursed you for your dinner. Here’s what I’m thinking. We do a segment where we call uber drivers and have them take us to the fast food restaurants our followers pick, and then we let the uber driver order for us. We can eat/rate the food. What do you think? And how about Saturday? I’ve gotta blow out of the midwest sometime next week.You’re still coming to Cali, right? For the big bash at my pad? Gen, make all this happen. Peace out - D
Technically, not one bit of that message contained any sort of an apology. Drake reiterated what I already knew happened, but he never took ownership for leaving me high and dry. Still, this collab is just what I need to go next level. And people do forget commitments sometimes. I’m big enough to move on if he is.
Saturday, I was supposed to be going to dinner with Meg—to celebrate this collab and the obvious windfall of popularity it will be bringing me. She’s already asleep upstairs. I’m not waking her to make sure it’s okay to reschedule. I’m just going to say yes. She’ll understand.
