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He sniffs again. “Is that moldy cheese?”
“What are you doing here?” I ask, leaning against the counter and taking another drink.
“Saw your light on. Didn’t know you were back.”
I stand here, drinking my beer a little faster than normal, because I know what’s coming next. The questions I’m expected to answer, and frankly, I just don’t have them right now.
“Just got back last night,” I tell him, hoping that’ll be the end of it.
“Where’s Hallie?” he asks, setting his beer down on the counter.
“Her new place.”
“Ahhh,” TD replies.
“But I’m guessing you already knew that.” It’s a small town, after all, and Hallie’s good friends with his wife. The only reason Ellie wasn’t there yesterday to help her clean and move some of her belongings to the new place was because she was working.
He lifts a shoulder and continues to just stare at me.
“What?” I finally ask when the silence stretches on longer than it should.
“What happened?”
“What do you mean? We weren’t dating. Our living arrangement was only temporary. She found a place and moved out. I’m back here. End of story.”
He turns and leans against the counter, clearly getting himself comfortable. “That might be how the story started, but that wasn’t the end.”
“Stop talking in gibberish and get to your point,” I tell him, setting my own bottle down on the counter when it’s nearly empty.
“You fell in love with her, and now you’re a miserable sack because she left. But what you’re not realizing is she only left because you didn’t tell her how you feel.”
That familiar lump I’ve felt in my throat since she told me she was leaving returns. “Don’t you know everything,” I mutter, deflecting.
“It’s easy to see from the outside looking in. My question is, what are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit,” he retorts immediately.
Throwing my hands in the air, I ask, “What am I supposed to do then? Since you’re the expert on relationships now, tell me, oh wise one.”
“I’m no expert, Logan, but I can speak from experience. I was afraid to ask Ellie out because it could ruin our friendship. Despite being in love with her for as long as I could remember, I kept my distance. Why? Because of fear. That’s exactly why you’re keeping your distance from Hallie now. You’re afraid to tell her.”
“She told me this is what she needs.”
He just stares back at me, as if waiting for me to catch up.
I shift on my feet and run my hand through my hair. “She’ll probably tell me to get fucked.”
TD barks out a laugh. “Yeah, she probably will.” He sobers a little before adding, “You have to give her all the pieces to the puzzle and let her put it together. If you only give her half of them, the picture isn’t going to turn out the way it should.”
I roll my eyes. “Jesus, it’s like talking to Dr. Phil.”
He grins widely. “I am pretty brilliant, aren’t I?”
“No,” I counter. “But I do see what you’re saying.”
“Listen, it’s your life and your decision. If you decide to tell her and she says no, she just wants to remain friends and co-parents, then at least you know how she really feels. Right now, you have no idea what’s going on in her head over there, and she has no clue what’s going on in yours. Tell her how you feel and go from there. Either way, you’ll know and won’t be trapped in limbo. You can move forward.”
