AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Curiosity. I still want to know what he’s like in the sack.”
“It’s probably just as well you didn’t. If you didn’t like him, I mean.”
“I guess. I mean I liked him, I just couldn’t see us getting serious. To be honest, he reminded me too much of Stuart.”
“How?” Esther couldn’t think of a single thing Jonathan had in common with Stuart other than superficial stuff like his beard and his beanie habit.
“He just seemed…I don’t know. Distracted? Like he was going through the motions. Like he wasn’t invested. I didn’t want to do that again. I deserve someone who’s all in.”
“You definitely do,” Esther agreed. That was what she’d been trying to tell Jinny for months.
“Although…”
“What?”
“He was different tonight.”
“Different how?”
“More subdued, I guess? Sweeter. It almost felt like the guy from the first two dates was an act and I was finally starting to get a glimpse of the real Jonathan underneath.”
“Huh.” Esther stared at his script, lying open on the couch next to her, and felt like shit all over again.
“Honestly, I almost changed my mind about dumping him at the last second.”
Esther squeezed the phone. “Really?”
“Yeah, but then I thought, this is what I always do. I make excuses for them. I tell myself they’re going to change, and things will get better. But they never do, do they?”
“Not usually, no.”
“I’m done waiting for guys to change. If they aren’t treating me the way I deserve to be treated, then I’m out.”
Esther reached over and flipped Jonathan’s script closed. “Good for you.”
“I’m turning over a new leaf. Go me!” At least Jinny sounded happy. Esther hadn’t ruined Jonathan’s week for nothing. That was something.
“So you’re really okay with the Jonathan situation?” Esther asked, riffling the edges of the script pages with her thumb. “And with Stuart?”
“Yeah, totally. I’m way over Stuart. Going out with Jonathan was clarifying. I know what I want now. No more Payless shoes for me.”
“That’s great.” All Esther wanted was for Jinny to be happy. To understand her own worth. To not settle for some shithead who treated her like crap.
“Yeah, so, I was gonna suggest a pool hang tomorrow to celebrate, but it’d probably be cruel to lurk outside Jonathan’s apartment right after dumping him, huh?”
“Probably. We could meet for brunch though. Let someone else make the mimosas for a change.”
“You’re on.”
After they hung up, Esther went back to working on her script notes for Jonathan. She really wanted to do a good job with them. He had a lot riding on it, and she felt like she had to do right by him.
She owed him that much, at least.
Chapter Ten
“You brought your weird coffeemaker,” Esther said when she opened the door for Jonathan on Sunday.
“Chemex.” He strode past her, carrying it into the kitchen. It was already ready to go with a filter and coffee grounds. “Do you have a kettle?” he asked, setting it on the counter. He was back to his signature plaid shirt and beanie look today. There was a pack of cigarettes tucked into his front shirt pocket and a brown canvas messenger bag slung across his chest. “If not, I can go back for mine.”
