Page 51 of Just Friends Forever
“Do they just stay here all day and night?” She’s horrified, and for good reason.
“Kind of. Their numbers wax and wane. Today, they happen to be waxing extra strong.”
“It’s so intrusive. Or maybe you’re just used to it by now.”
I shake my head. “I probably should be, but I’m not. I’ve learned to pretend it doesn’t affect me, but there’s a reason I haven’t really left this apartment since they found me.”
Maggie stares at me, her fork hovering in the air. “So, you’re a prisoner.”
I laugh. “That sounds more miserable than it’s been. Troy makes sure I don’t go crazy.”
“But youwantto go out, right? If it wereme, I might be okay with it—cozying up with a huge stack of romances until they just gave up—but I’m fully aware I’m not normal.” She doesn’t say it self-consciously. It’s just a statement of fact, and it makes me like her even more.
“I’d love to get out, but the timing…” I shake my head. “They just published a picture of Curtis and his new… woman, so their curiosity is insatiable right now.”
She glances up at me, searching my face. “And how do you feel about that?”
I lift my shoulders, letting them sit there for a few seconds before they sag again. “On one level, I’m fine with it. For so long, I’ve been worried how everything I do will affect his image and his work, but now, I guess I feel a little more freedom to… move ahead?”
She nods. “Youshouldfeel freedom to move forward. No one should let the past hold them hostage.”
She’s right, and the way she says it, I know she’s actuallyfeelingit. I hope she isn’t letting the awful way she was treated when we were younger hold her back.
“Maggie, I’m sorry I wasn’t a better friend to you at school. It makes me cringe to think about.”
“You were always nice to me,” she says.
I give a scoffing laugh. “If by that you mean I didn’t go out of my way to be rude, yeah. But I wasn’tnice.”
“Hey,” she says with a smile, “someone not going out of their way to be rude was a big deal to me then.”
I shake my head, feeling even worse.
“I don’t hold any grudges,” she says. “It’s not worth it, and I really like my life now. But enough about me. You say you feel freer to move forward now. What does that look like?”
“The million-dollar question,” I say. “I mean, getting a house of my own—one without Austin Sheppard merchandise everywhere, maybe. Somewhere to make new memories. Having my own garden to work in. Working on finding my own passion. Making new friends—or old friends.”
She smiles. “That sounds really nice. I hope you find all of that.”
“Thank you.” I hesitate for a second. “I’ve thought a little bit about dating.”
“Yeah?” There’s no judgment in her tone. Just encouragement. “See, I thought you and Troy were together when I saw you at the grocery store, but I didn’t know then that he had a girlfriend.”
I laugh, and it has a nervous quality to it I’m not used to. “No, Troy and I have always been really good friends, but that’s all.” Thanks to me.
“I know, but I always thought you two would be great together.”
I take an enormous bite of food to compensate for the way my heart is thudding. I never thought we would be great together. I was too busy daydreaming about life with Austin. But now? I’ve definitely thought about it a time or two. Or ten.
But it doesn’t matter. I said no to that chance years ago, and the time has passed. He’s taken.
Maybe this is good, though. If I’ve felt something for Troy, it means I can feel something for someone besides Curtis, and that should give me hope—or maybe it should terrify me. I don’t know yet. Some casual dates could be a great way of meeting people and taking ownership of my life again.
“Do you have anyone in mind for a date?” Maggie asks.
I shake my head, even though an enormous Troy-filled banner is lighting up my brain. “It’s kind of hard to meet people in my current situation. Maybe in a few weeks when things have died down.”
“If you want to wait, you should,” she says. “But if it’s the paparazzi holding you back?” She shakes her head, frowning. “You deserve freedom just as much as the next person. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, right?” She scoops some biryani onto her spoon. “I wonder how they’d like it if their houses were swarmed with cameras.”
