Page 22 of Rebound
“Babe, this isn’t your love life. This is the lack of one.”
“So, we’re going to be two girls talking about the lack of love in our lives?”
Jules picks up her tumbler and takes a sip before turning the chair to face me again.
“Yeah, we can use a depressing episode, and everyone can relate to having a crush.”
“I don’t want to talk about Roman,” I say. Especially because he’s mentioned in our endless texts that he listens to the podcast. I don’t want him to know I’m thinking about him when I clearly have the upper hand right now. It’s childish, I’m aware.
He can’t talk to me in person after months of just texting and act like everything is okay.
“It doesn’t have to be about Roman. It can be about dating.”
“What do we know about dating, Jules? You don’t date and I’ve picked a series of losers.”
The last thing I want to talk about on the podcast is my exes. Josh tried calling and texting me after the wedding and I didn’t answer a single call or text. I have nothing to say to him, and I don’t care to ask why he couldn’t realize he didn’t want to get married before the actual wedding day. I also told my family not to answer his calls and he wouldn’t have dared call Jules.
Jules raises her hand, her blue eyes excited. “We can talk about how much we suck at dating.”
“That feels like it’s going to lead to us getting creepy messages from dudes, but sure, yeah, let’s do it.”
“Okay, but I really need to finish today’s word count,” she says.
She turns back, rolling her chair closer to her desk as she starts typing. I pick up my e-reader again, going back to the book I was reading, but I already know I won’t be able to pay attention to a single word.
My phone is burning a hole in the cushions, and I want nothing more than to look at those pictures again or re-read all my messages with Roman like a lovesick teenager.
I lower my e-reader again.
“Did I tell you he talked to me?”
The clacking of her keyboard stops, and Jules turns slowly, dramatically.
“Pardon?”
I take a sip of water, nodding. “Yeah, last night. After the game.”
Jules rushes across the room to me, jumping on the chair with me. There’s plenty of space on it.
“And you’re telling me this now? Lavinia Callahan, you know we don’t withhold information in this relationship. What did he say?”
I think back to last night and the annoyance I felt when Roman walked up to me. I’m not even seeing anyone, and I said I might be because I can’t let him think he’s in charge of this relationship.
“Well, it was a lot of flirting, and I don’t think I gave in that much,” I say. “I told him I might be dating Leo, the guy who came to my parents’ house for dinner last month.”
“You haven’t spoken to that guy since dinner.” Jules’s blue eyes are bright with excitement. The only thing missing from this scenario is popcorn.
“I didn’t want him to know that, obviously. Drew and the guys were there so I couldn’t talk to Roman. He said I don’t needanyone else when I have him and I said there’s not enough room for him and his ego.”
Jules hums. “I’m convinced this man wants you, and I am finally satisfied that you haven’t chosen an utter loser.”
“If he wants me, why hasn’t he said so?”
“Maybe he thinks you won’t reciprocate, and he doesn’t want to risk it.”
If that’s true, then I have the same fear. I’m a relationship kind of girl; I can’t help it. My parents have the most perfect marriage, and yes, they fight, but they trust each other, they’re loyal, and most importantly, they are still madly in love after all these years. If I can have even one tenth of that, I’ll be a happy girl.
Whereas, from what I’ve learned, Roman isn’t a relationship guy. Hockey players like to gossip a lot and everything I’ve learned about Roman has been related to his sexual history. I don’t want to be another girl he has sex with and forgets.
