“I remember,” Bree says. “You guys didn’t talk for months after Ronin left for college. I had to deal with both of you being all mopey and miserable.” She passes the bottle back to me. “I’m not sure why you thought it would have been a disaster, Mellie. The entire town has been rooting for you two since you were teenagers. But we can circle back to that.” Her subdued gaze catches mine. “I can’t believe you kept this from me all these years. We dated, Mellie! For a whole fucking year! And you didn’t think to mention any of this about Ronin being in love with you? Ready tomarryyou?” Bree shakes her head. “You know you’re my best friend. But Ronin is my friend too, and now that I know why you left Blue Fields, I kind of feel like a shitty friend for dating you.” Her eyes drift to the emptying townsquare as she searches for the right words before continuing. “Ronin is such a good guy. It’s not like he would have said anything to me about it, either. He just pretended to be happy for us, meanwhile, he was probably heartbroken.”
The tears that were threatening moments ago finally spill over. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you. Honestly, I was scared. I felt like if I said it out loud, it would make it more real and I’d have to deal with it. I’d have to actually consider if I wanted a future with him. Running away and not telling anyone, it was easier.” I sniffle, wiping my face. “And I know it was a shitty thing to hook up with you after telling Ronin we couldn’t be together. I don’t know what I was thinking. He should hate me for all the shit I’ve put him through.”
Bree scoffs. “That man could never hate you.”
“Yeah, well, he should. I don’t deserve him.”
She’s silent for a few moments, her features softening the longer she’s lost in thought. Finally, she tilts her face back to me. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you and I were a mistake. Maybe a bit ill-timed, now that I know what was really going on. But I don’t regret being with you.” Bree levels me with a stare. “We both knew it was never going to be anything serious. Whatever we had, it’s not the same compared to what you and Ronin could be.”
I nod, but I don’t say anything in response. We sit together in silence, watching the rain and passing the wine bottle back and forth until it’s empty.
“These kinds of conversations are never easy to have.” Bree tucks a strand of her pink hair behind her ear. “When I met Brooke, it was like something clicked into place, and I knew she was it for me. But I had to tell you, and I was terrified of hurting you or ruining our friendship. But sometimes you have to take those risks, or you’re never truly living.” She bumps my shoulder with hers. “Thankfully, my girlfriend was also my bestie, and she didn’t hold it against me when I left her for another woman.”
I snort. “You don’t know about the glitter bomb research I did before you left.”
Bree cocks an eyebrow. “I have no idea what that means and I get the feeling I don’t want to know.” She shakes her head with a small laugh before continuing, “This thing with Ronin? I think it’s worth the risk. If there is still anything there between you two, you owe it to yourselves to find out.”
“Yeah, well…that’s if Ronin still wants to talk to me after I stood him up tonight. And if he can forgive me for being Blue Fields’ biggest asshole all these years.”
“Ronin is an understanding guy. Like probablythemost understanding guy. I’m sure if you tell him you fell asleep, he’ll get it. He saw how drunk your ass was last night.” She shoots me a teasing smirk. “He might be hurting right now, but you can always call or text him.”
Bree pulls me in for a hug. “I love you, you stupid asshole. I just want to see you happy. I hope you know that.”
“I don’t even have his number anymore,” I sigh.
“I’ll send it to you.”
More sniffles follow before I whisper sheepishly, “Okay. But after we finish that other bottle of wine you brought.”
Bree laughs as she twists the cap open on the second bottle of rosé.
“I got you, Mellie. What else are best friends for?”
Chapter Ten
RONIN
Tip #2: Flirting with your best friend over text messages can be the easiest way to gauge if the feeling is mutual.
My phone vibrates on the wooden table where I sit in my dining room. I take a swig from my beer before I pick it up, unlocking the screen to see who the message is from. My pulse stumbles, causing my fingers to loosen their grip on the bottle. It hits the table with a hard clank, jolting me from my shock enough to grasp the message scrolled across my phone.
Hey Ronin… it’s Mel. I’m not sure if you have my new number, sooo. Here it is
Well, this isunexpected. I don’t attempt a reply, not wanting to come acrosstoodesperate for her attention. My heart slams against my chest, anticipation pumping through my veins.
I’m sorry. I can explain, but just know that I am so sorry. For everything
I waited for her tonight. I sat under the gazebo for an hour, until it was clear that she wasn’t coming. It was just past9:00 p.m.by the time I made it back home. I’ve been sitting in the same spot ever since, making my way through the six-pack I grabbed from the diner on my way out, emotions warring between annoyance, frustration, and self-pity.
I type out a reply, delete it, and type out a new one.
That could mean a lot of things. Care to elaborate?
Three tiny dots appear immediately as Mellie types out a reply. I drink from my beer while I wait, nerves buzzing over the fact that she actually reached out. This is what I wanted, to talk things out, but hearing from her after being ditched tonight fills me with apprehension over what she plans to say.
Well for starters, I’m sorry for tonight. I fell asleep. It’s not a good excuse, but it’s the embarrassing truth
Idk if you could tell, but I was pretty drunk last night and suffered from a pathetic hangover all day. I’m too old for this shit
