Page 56 of The Assist
Mom: Great game tonight. Your dad and I caught part of it in the airport. We’re boarding soon but wanted to tell you Happy Thanksgiving!
Me: Thanks, Mom. Enjoy your trip.
Mom: Love you!
Another text from Blair pops up.
Blair: Ooooh, in that case. I better finish my school stuff. See ya soon!
Me: I love you.
My hands freeze after I press send. Oh shit. “Shit.”
Joel looks over and cocks a brow. “Problem?”
I scrub a hand over my face. “I just told Blair I loved her instead of my mom.”
“You’re gonna have to explain that.”
“I was texting my mom and Blair at the same time. I meant to send it to my mom.”
His eyes widen. “What’d Blair say?”
I wake the screen, “Nothing. She went silent.”
Joel sucks in air through gritted teeth, grimacing and putting a sound to the panic strumming through my pulse.
“What do I do? Oh my God, what do I do?”
“I dunno. This one is out of my league. I don’t tell girls I love them, and if I somehow screwed up and did, they wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
“Your player status is not helping me right now. What do I do? Do I tell her it was an accident or just hope she doesn’t see it? Can you recall text messages like email?
“Well, do you?”
“Do I what?” I stare at the screen. This little device is going to destroy me.
“Do you love her?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“Oh, come on, it isn’t that ridiculous of a notion. You’re spending all your spare time together.”
Oh my God. It’s been three minutes with no response. Did she block my number? Is she gonna ghost me? Holy fuck.
“Still no response?”
I slam my head back into the headrest. “Nothing. She’s probably busy changing her number.”
“Okay, calm down. Tell me this, if she responded right now and said it back, how would that feel?”
I consider that for a moment. Her reaction—or non-reaction, as it currently stands—aside, how would it feel to have Blair love me?
“It’d feel good. I guess. Fuck, I dunno. It’s too soon. I don’t have time for love.”
“Love don’t give a rat’s ass if you have time.”
I’m taken aback by that sentiment from Joel. “When did you start waxing poetic on love?”
