“And said what? What would you have wanted him to say, Ar? To call you his girlfriend? To declare that he was in love with you? You would’ve run for the hills, and you know it.”
“How about ‘Stop being an asshole to my date’? Or ‘Actually, this is a major upgrade, motherfuckers.’”
“Ari.”
“Yes, I hear myself,” she snapped. “But it’s all beside the point. I know he’s attracted to me. I know he even likes being around me. But that’s not enough. I can’t go all in on someone who sees me as a backup while they look for the real thing. With Danny, we knew the score, but with Judah…” She rubbed her sternum with her knuckles, as if trying to dislodge something from beneath her very bones. “I’m not doing that with Judah. I’m not keeping him company until he finds the right Mira.”
Liana looked helplessly at Gideon, who said quietly, “I really, really don’t think that’s what’s going on.”
“Then he can prove that if he wants to,” said Arielle. “I’d like to see him try.”
And as she left them behind in her room to go have a good cry in the shower, she ached with just how badly she meant it.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Judah took a quick glance at his watch as he waited for his favorite dry cleaner to return with his clothes. Liana had texted him, asking if they could have a quick video chat to discuss the wedding, and he needed to be back home in ten minutes. But the wedding was in three days, and healsoneeded his favorite tux as armor if he was going to face Arielle Becker again.
Thankfully, the cleaner returned a minute later with the plastic sleeve of suits and shirts, and Judah headed back around the corner to his building, wondering what Gideon and Liana would want to change this close to the ceremony.
He sat down at his laptop with a minute to spare.
“Hey,” he greeted them as soon as they popped into view. “Did you change your mind about ‘Im Eshkachech’? Do you want to go with the older tune?”
“I want to go with a happy maid of honor,” Liana said firmly. “You’ve been back from LA for days now. Why the hell haven’t you called Arielle?”
“For the record, I do not condone luring you into this conversation under professional pretenses.” Gideon gave Liana a look, which she promptly ignored.
“Alsofor the record, I’m… working my way up to it.” Judah scratched the back of his neck, contemplating ending this call immediately. He probably would, if he weren’t performing at their wedding in less than a week. “For now, I’m trying to give her the space she asked for.”
“Okay, she has had enough ‘space,’ and I say that as someone who’s been surrounded by her best friend’s quiet misery for weeks.No, wait, it’s worse—surrounded by her pretending to be happy and cheerful about my weddingwhilestewing in quiet misery.”
“Have you considered she’s actually just happy and cheerful about your wedding?”
“Ari wouldn’t be this happy and cheerful about herownwedding.” Liana rolled her eyes. “Trust me, I know her. And she’s hurting. And she’s missing you. Her pride has taken a serious beating, and she’s not going to be the one to reach out. Arielle Rose Becker is not a fish you reel in and throw back, Judah. Don’t catch her unless you’re ready to keep her.”
“Lee, you do know that when you keep the fish you catch, you’re—”
“Notnow, Gid.” Liana huffed out an impatient breath in her fiancé’s direction. “Perhaps you should go to another room for the advice portion of the conversation.”
“On the contrary, I’m curious what he has to say,” said Judah as his gaze shifted to Gideon. “Surely you have thoughts on how spectacularly I’m failing at this.”
“Gideon never has thoughts.”
“Oh, he sure did the night we got beers. Come on, man, I know you’ve got something to say.”
Liana eyed her fiancé curiously. “Do you?”
“I like to leave these matters to the experts.”
“You sounded pretty expert that night,” Judah reminded him. “And what you said about my career… you might’ve been right about that. I’ve spent the week putting it to the test, anyway. So if you have any more thoughts, I’m listening.”
Gideon sighed. “Fine, but after this, I’m keeping my mouth shut and you’re on your own.”
Judah nodded.
“My thought is that you’re both so head over ass in love with each other—and so wildly clueless about relationships—that you’ve each classified a real relationship with the other as an unattainablefantasy. I swear to God, I’ve never seen two people more skilled at getting in the way of their own happiness. Given your last date, I don’t blame her for needing you to make the move, so either step the fuck up and prove to her you see afuture, or you’re going to lose your chance at a happily ever after that’s almost as good as ours.”
The words hit Judah like a slap to the face, and he knew every single one was spot-on. Judging from the hint of a smug smile on Gideon’s lips, he knew it too. Meanwhile, Liana was simply gawking at her fiancé as if she’d never seen him before.
