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Ethan: What? He is! It took less than 60 seconds for him to snap like a twig. It was too easy! But fine, I’ll apologize to him if it means I can come tonight.
Emma: Thank you!
Ethan: You’re lucky I love you, I wouldn’t be apologizing to mayonnaise if I didn’t.
Emma: Oh come on, he is not mayo!
Ethan: Of course he is. See you tonight!
She sends me his contact info. There’s no time like the present to deal with the douche canoe. I cringe as I add the new contact and create a new message.
Ethan: Hey, this is Ethan. We need to talk.
Mayo: Yeah, we do.
Ethan: I’m free for lunch today, want to grab a burger?
Mayo: Sure. Send me an address and I’ll be there at 12:30.
I send him the address for a place downtown, where I know the owner. I want to be on my own turf.
Ilovethisplace.They serve the best food and have karaoke on random weeknights. When I enter the bar, he's already waiting for me. It’s not busy, so we are able to grab a booth right away.Thank Loki, I can’t handle this guy more than necessary!Once we are seated, I decide to lay my cards on the table. “Ok, look, I am just going to come out with it. I admit I was alittleout of line last night. You probably don’t have the backstory.” He nods for me to continue. “Emma and I have been friends since college, and I was there when you decided breaking her was a better option than wifing her up.” I shake my head and I feel a surge of emotions bubbling up inside me. “And I mean you didn’t just break her heart, she has never loved the same since.”
“I get the whole protective brother act, but things with her are still new. It really did look like she was on a date with you. I lost it. I just got her back and I wasn’t about to let her go again without a fight. I saw you as a threat.” Looking off into the restaurant thoughtfully, he continues, “We talked a little about our break up. She admitted that I was the only man to break her heart.” He looks back at me, and I can see the concern in his eyes as he frowns at me. “But what do you mean she never loved the same?”
“I mean just that, sheneverloved the same. She always kept a part of her heart safe. There were a few serious boyfriends after you. They all cheated on her. Which just confirmed, in her mind, that she was never enough for someone. I know, I know, she’s incredible!How could anyone do that?Well, they did. After them, she met Jason. He was…safe. She loved him, but wasn’tin love. I think it was the same for him. He’s a really good guy, but there wasn’t any passion there.” I kind of feel bad for Jason. He didn’t stand a chance after this asshole broke her like the spine of a chunky paperback. He deserves someone who is full of life and loves with their whole heart, someone like…Charlotte. Too bad she’s Emma’s step-sister, they would have been perfect for each other.
The waitress comes by with water and takes our order. When she leaves, I take a few sips, trying to remember where I left off. I’m hit with a flashback of when she met him. “Shit, I remember the night she met you. She called and told me about this guy who she had some kind of magnetic connection with, and how it was love at first sight.” I sigh, shaking my head. “She was such a romantic back then. I miss that Emma.”
“I felt it too that night, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. It wasn’t because she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen—which she was—there was just something magical about her I couldn’t explain. I felt so drawn to her.”Maybe he gets it?
“That’s Emma though, sheismagic. Girl would give Hermione a run for her money. She makes you feel like you’re the only other person in the whole world when you’re together. I experienced it first hand, before we realized friendship was a better option for us.”
“Wait, you guys dated? It’s weird that she didn’t mention you, even back then.”
Shoot, I shouldn’t have said anything. That was careless.Well, here we go.“We went out for a week or two in college when we were 18, but decided we were better off friends. A few years later, I moved away for a new job about six months before you guys started dating. I was busy with work and a shitty friend. It wasn’t until about a month before you guys broke up, when I moved back, that we became close again. I became her person when you disappeared—someone had to pick up the pieces."
“Why didn’t it work out with you two?”
Considering my response, I reply, “We had an amazing time. She was so much fun. But honestly? I was afraid of her. Women like Emma are…well, they are the ones that you settle down and have kids with. I wasn’t ready for that and neither was she. So, we made the mutual decision to just be friends. We couldn’t imagine a life without each other in it. She's my best friend and has been for the last two decades. I never had a desire to date her after that, because I knew if I did and it didn’t work out, I would risk losing her forever."
“So, you’re ok with being friend-zoned forever?” His expression says it all—he needs to know that I am not a threat.
I let out a laugh. “I mean, wouldn’t you? If you had the choice of being her best friend, or never seeing her again, wouldn’t you do the same thing?” He nods in agreement, so against my better judgment, I continue, “But you aren’t going to be her best friend, I already hold that title. However, I have a better idea.”I can’t believe I am about to say this.“Ok, so here’s the thing, she called an emergency buffalo plaid meeting tonight with the girls. Before you ask, it’s this thing Lily, Riley, and Emma started when they had a bad day or needed girl time. They get together to wear pajamas, eat a bunch of junk food, drink too much wine, and watch some horribly predictable romance movie where some dude saves a hot chocolate stand or Christmas tree farm in the name of love.”
“Why are you telling me this?”Do I need to spell it out for him? Fuck, he’s dense.
“Wellbecauseif she’s needing a buffalo plaid night, it meansyouare important enough to her that she asked for it in the first place. She wouldn’t be needing her girlfriends if I hadn’t tried to piss you off.” I pause for a moment as our waitress drops off our order, then continue, “I want to do right by her. But if you two are supposed to ride off into the sunset together like some kind of Pride and Prejudice reboot, I need to know what your intentions are.”
He takes a bite of his burger. Once he's done chewing, he replies, “Why do I think this would be more of an interrogation than her dad?”Because it is, asshole. Her dad, Joe, would murder you. But don’t worry, I’ll help him hide the body.“I want to marry her. Not today, not tomorrow, but one day. Well, that’s actually a lie. If she told me today that she wanted to run off to City Hall, I would marry her without a second thought. She just isn’t there yet, and it doesn’t help that we are technically on a break right now—”
I interrupt, “A break? Shit, man, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she took it that far. But so help me, if you hurt her again by cheating because you wereon a break—”
He talks over me, “No, I would never. I plan on spending the rest of my life showing her how much I love her. If that means giving her space right now, I’ll do it. I just want to make sure she knows just how extraordinary she is. She’s the love of my life—there is no one else, there will never be anyone else. After what you told me though, I just hope I am good enough for her.”You’re not, but damn, that’s a good answer.After taking a drink of his water, he continues, “The reason I disappeared on her all those years ago was the same reason you two decided to stay friends—she scared me too. I knew it in my bones that she was it for me, but I am man enough now to admit now that leaving her was the biggest mistake of my life. I need to win her back.”
I want Emma to be happy, even if it’s with this pointless white crayon. If he hurts her again, I’ll gladly rearrange his face like a feng shui tutorial video.
My brilliant idea will not only put me in Emma’s good graces butmaybemight salvage her relationship with Dylan. I pull out my phone to text Lily. “Hold on a sec, I need to message someone.” He nods and continues eating his lunch. I don’t see what the appeal of this guy is. Sure he’s hot, but that’s about it. But if Emma wants me to play nice with the grouch, I’ll play nice.
