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Chapter Eight
Philomena
Crystal was sweet to pick me up from the airport, but I was starting to wish I had taken a taxi. She hounded me with questions about Clark, and I didn’t want to talk about it. Mostly because there wasn’t anything to say. It was over before it had a chance to blossom into something more.
“Are you driving this slowly on purpose?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Is there something wrong with your car?”
Crystal shook her head. “But there is with you. I haven’t seen you look this sad since I stopped in to watch you work. Are you going to tell me what he did or do I need to Google his ass and find out for myself?”
“You’re not funny.” Sadly, I knew Crystal wasn’t joking. She and Lizzy were pushy and didn’t take no for an answer.
“We had a misunderstanding. That’s all,” I said. It really was that simple.
“That’s easy to fix. You explain your side, he explains his and then you’re back on track. Joey and I have them all the time. If we didn’t communicate, our relationship would be over,” she said. “And before you start saying it’s not worth fixing, I’m going to tell you you’re wrong. Even if he is not the love of your life, I know the two of you had some sort of connection. I could hear it in your voice when we talked at night.”
Logical thinking wasn’t what I wanted right now. Can’t I just be sad for a while?
Was it wrong for me to deal with this on my own terms and just walk away? It’s how I’d always protected my heart. Not that Clark had broken mine. I wasn’t in love with him, but I had started to develop feelings. Part of me wished I hadn’t panicked and booked a flight before speaking to him. And it even made sense that he jumped to the wrong conclusion about Lizzy. What Crystal didn’t get was that speaking to Clark would change nothing. He was in Boston, I’m in Florida, and it’s…over.
“I’ll think about it,” I said.
“What is there to think about? You like him,” Crystal said.
“I also like puppies and kittens and bunnies and…”
“God, you’re not making this easy,” Crystal sighed.
And you’re making this worse than it needs to be.
“Just because you’re in a serious relationship doesn’t mean I need to find one. I’m happy. And that should be enough for you.”
Crystal pulled the car over in front of my apartment building and shut off the engine. “It is. And I’m sorry that I’m pushing you to do something you don’t want to. That’s not what friends are for.”
I chuckled. “I’m not sure about that. I’ve done my fair share of pushing you and butting into your life.” After all, I had tried for ages to keep her from dating my brother. I would show up at places I knew they were out on a date and wedge myself between them, leaving them no privacy or time to get to know each other better. Yet no matter what I tried, they still fell in love.
“We can argue more about this tomorrow. It’s almost midnight and Joey is going to start to worry about me if I don’t get home soon.”
“Thanks again for picking me up. I owe you,” I said, leaning over to give her a quick hug.
“Yes, you do and I know what I want.”
“I’m afraid to ask,” I said.
She grinned. “You can call Clark and let him know you made it home safely,” Crystal prodded.
I rolled my eyes. “That is not paying you back, that’s…”
“Manipulation? Maybe, but I really think you should call him.”
I opened the door and got out. But before shutting it I bent down and said, “If Clark cared, he has my number. He can just as easily check on me.”
Grabbing my luggage out of the trunk, I headed up to my apartment where I knew it’d be nice and quiet. Once inside, I went directly to my bedroom and flopped on the bed. I was physically and mentally exhausted, but after traveling, there was no way I was going to bed without showering first.
Dragging myself up, I walked into the bathroom and started to undress. As soon as I took off my shirt, I caught sight of the camo-print bra in the mirror. I could only imagine what it was like for Clark to go into the ladies’ department to shop for me. I really never thought he’d do it. But he did it for me.
