Page 20 of Finding Jack
“Wake up,” she said with her face an inch from mine. But considering the cannonball, it didn’t need to be said.
I blinked at her. “Please move out.”
She crawled under the covers instead and stared at me from the other pillow.
“That pillow is for decoration, not roommate invasions.”
“Why does Paul’s Facebook say ‘single’ now?”
I rubbed my eyes and tried to process what she was saying. “Why are you even paying attention to Paul’s Facebook?” Then I sat up and gasped. “Ranée! Do you secretly love him?”
She bounced the pillow I’d just abandoned off my head. “Shut up. No. But that Tyler guy just posted something on your wall asking what happened so then I looked at Paul’s, and I’m incredibly smart so I kind of already know, but tell me what happened anyway.”
“Wait, what?” Tyler was an old co-worker who’d switched over to Paul’s company. I’d met Paul at a party at Tyler’s house. Tyler was the biggest gossip in the office, so it figured he’d be the first to sniff something out. “Break this down for me. I’m only halfway there.”
“Well, working backward, I think Paul changed his relationship status to single, Tyler saw it and posted something on each of your walls asking what happened, and that’s when I saw it. So what happened? If Tyler gets the story before I do, you’re dead to me.”
I rubbed more sleep from my eyes and glared at her. “I’m fine with that.”
“Talk.”
“This is going to be really anticlimactic for you. He planned an awesome day, and I should have loved it, but instead I broke up with him. He was nice about it, and we hung out the rest of the day anyway, but I don’t think we’re going to hang out ever again.” I collapsed back on my pillow. “I’m an idiot. What was I thinking?”
“He wasn’t good for you. He’s all the things you already are. You need someone who is all the things you’re not. So let’s figure out who that is.”
I turned over to look at her. “Did you just tell me that I need to think of the ways I’m lacking?”
“Yes! I mean, no,” she amended when she saw my frown. “I meant that you need to think of the qualities someone should have to balance you. Balance. That’s good.”
“You must be in marketing.”
“How’d you know? So let’s think of some stuff. Like you’re a total planner, so you need someone who’s more spontaneous.”
“I just got out of a relationship twelve hours ago. Maybe I need some ‘me’ time.”
But she barreled on. “You’re too serious sometimes, so you need someone with an excellent sense of humor. Like maybe someone who is Twitter-famous for his Photoshopping skills.”
I rolled out of bed onto the floor. “Bye,” I said, army crawling for the door.
She jumped in front of it and shut it. “Jack’s great. You should date him.”
I sat up, and then, because it hurt my neck to glare up at her, I stood up instead. “First of all, he lives in Portland. Or near it somewhere in a hipster cave where he sleeps in a nest of flannel. So no. But also, there’s this whole thing about I don’t want to date him. Which is kind of my main reason. Now move.”
I tugged the door open and slid past her to spend quality time with my Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or as my dad called it, “Dessert for breakfast.”
“Let’s talk about this,” she said across the breakfast bar.
I poured a bowl of cereal without turning around to look at her. “There is no ‘us’ talking about this. You’re going to talkatme. I can feel it.”
“Yes. Yes, I am. Did you love Paul?”
“No.”
“Then you’re not heartbroken and we can talk about this.”
“Of course I’m not heartbroken. I’m also not made of time, and I don’t have time for dating right now. It shouldn’t have been so hard for Paul and me to find time for each other. I need to get this new job under control and then I’ll think about it.”
I turned around to move to the table and squeaked to find her right in front of me, her phone up like a stop sign in her outstretched hand. “Before you say that, check this out.”
