Page 83 of The Bright Side of Brooding
I could hear the smile in her voice. “Good.”
I inhaled a full, slow breath, my lungs filling for the first time in what felt like days.
“And for what it’s worth, I think you should consider that loving someone isn’t quite the same as needing them, and that it could be a really wonderful, freeing thing, instead of something that ties you up.”
We ended the call not long after, and her words filled my mind, along with a new determination. I couldn’t change my gut reaction to some of these things, but I could work on that. I could get help withthat,for sure, and then I could reach out and ask for help for the idea blooming in my mind.
And when Nick returned, I’d talk to him too. I’d apologize and see if he could forgive me for being so cowardly and awful. I’d see if we could find a way forward. I’d see if that disappointment could be replaced with… something better. Properly set expectations, maybe, and good communication. Things real couples did when they were trying to work through something.
Before we hung up, I’d asked forherhelp. My idea to rectify the whole food drive, resumé mess would require lots of hands. As I knew she would, she happily agreed.
And after? I didn’t feel terrible. I felt… lighter. Like I had someone on my team who’d help me get through this. I’d grown to love the women I now called friends, and I could askthemto help me without fearing what they might say later.
Why couldn’t I get there with Nick?
