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Thank God and everything that is holy! I feel like with that one-word answer, the course of my life has just changed and there is a light at the end of this long and treacherous tunnel. I know she didn’t say she still loved me or wanted to run off and have my babies, but it’s one less hurdle to get over. I don’t think I realized until this very moment how much I still loved her. I feel like my heart just started beating again for the first time in five years. I can’t get her to go to coffee with me but my heart is beating again and that’s a start! I feel energized and ready to do everything in my power to get her to change her mind and say yes to having coffee with me. Wait! If there isn’t anybody else, then who the hell is Alex?
“Who’s Alex, then? I just assumed he was your boyfriend.”
“Alex?”
“The other night…didn’t you say that he came down to California and rode back with you and Cami?”
With a little giggle she says, “Jonathan, Alex is a girl. She’s been friends with Cami and me since Jr. High. I can’t believe I never told you about her. She’s our other BFF. I just assumed you knew her. She just left with Cami.”
Oh, thank Fuck!
“If there isn’t somebody else then why can’t two old friends meet for coffee and catch up?”
She’s silent and staring down at the car keys in her hands.
“Emily?”
Still nothing. Shit, did I say something? This is not going well.
I take my forefinger and put it under her chin and slowly lift her beautiful blue eyes up to meet mine while I search her face for any clue that will tell me what is going through her head. “Emily, meet me for coffee. You pick the place and the time and I’ll be there.”
I remove my finger that is holding her chin up and instantly feel the loss of our connection. She looks at me with sad eyes, for what seems like forever, and then quietly she exhales. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
Don’t let her change her mind moron!
“Okay, it’s settled then. I know it’s August and a little warm for coffee but I guess we can get iced coffee if you want or a smoothie or something else. Whatever you want is fine by me.”
Shut up! You’re rambling! Just breathe, you idiot.
A small smile sneaks across those delicious lips of hers. At least I amuse her, it’s better than nothing.
“Iced coffee is fine, Jonathan.”
“Sounds good, what works for you?”
“Do you know Elka Bee’s Coffee Haus, in Happy Valley?”
“I sure do.”
“Is Wednesday okay?”
NO! That’s not okay! That’s four days away! I scream inside my head.
“Wednesday is perfect.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then,” she says taking a step back to leave.
I don’t want her to leave yet so I go for it and say, “Here, let me give you my number and you can just tell me what time works for you as it gets closer. What’s your number and I’ll send you a text so you have mine.”
I break out into a cold sweat after I ask for her number. I mean really, what makes me think she’ll give it to me now? We spent a week together and professed our love to each other and she never gave me her number. At this point what do I have to lose? It’s worth a shot. I have to wipe my hands off on my shorts before I grab my phone out of my pocket. because my hands are so sweaty. I don’t want to look like a total ass and drop my phone in front of her. Might as well try to keep the level of humiliation to the lowest level possible while I wait for her to shoot me down.
As I stream all the wishful thinking I have into my thumbs, I pull up a new contact and type Gracie into the name field and then hover over the phone number box waiting. I’m about to tell her that’s it’s okay and I understand, when she speaks. I can feel myself shaking as I enter her digits into my phone. Hoping to God she isn’t messing with me and this is really her number because I am going to write it on my fridge, write on paper and file it away. Hell, I may buy a little black book just to put her number in it. I am not losing this bit of gold.
I quickly send her a text to make sure she isn’t lying, and the relief I feel when I hear a ping from her bag is like a heavy weight being lifted from my chest. I watch as she pulls the phone from her bag and adds my number to her phone and then I hear my own ping. What I see on my phone brings the biggest smile to my face.
Gracie: Got it, Georgia.
