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A smile tugs on my lips.
“With that said…I’ll still see you when I get back, right?” He reaches for my hand again, rubbing his thumb across my wrist. It’s a gesture I’ve come to understand as his way of sayingI’d be trying to take your pants off right now if we weren’t in public.
“Definitely.”
He flashes that cheeky smile. “And in case you change your mind, I don’t leave until early Saturday morning. Flight’s at four a.m. Find me at the airport if you reconsider.”
After leaving Nate’s bar, I find myself on a bus bench and entirely disoriented. For a moment, I’m not even sure where I am. I just started down the sidewalk and kept going for several blocks until I looked up and didn’t recognize my surroundings. According to my phone map, I’m farther east than I’ve ever ventured through the city on foot.
Out of breath and a bit overwhelmed, I slouch and stare at the traffic until the noise and car exhaust quiet my frantic thoughts.
I’ve spent months in limbo, suspended between disparate paths. Struggling with a decision that feels like not just a choice between two guys but two vastly different interpretations of myself. Now, the status quo is collapsing beneath my feet, and if I don’t grab for one of their ropes, I’m committing to finding out what’s at the bottom on my own. Which I guess is a choice in itself. Maybe even the one that risks the fewest hearts.
I need a sounding board. Grabbing my phone from my purse, I send an SOS to Eliza.
Me: I’m back in the love triangle. Help.
Her response is instantaneous. It’s early evening in Nashville, and I imagine she’s just returned to her dorm after dinner at the meal hall on campus.
Eliza: Were you ever out of it?
Me: Yes. I told both of them to fuck off. But now they both want me as their girlfriend.
Me: Is this how the Kardashians feel?
Eliza: Wait, you forgave Hot Jack? And Drifter Nate wants to settle down? Is this an alternate dimension?
Me: Right??
Me: So what do I do?
Eliza: Pick one.
Me: Gee. Wow. That is some transcendent advice. Thank you.
A moment later, she calls me. I pick up instantly, groaning in lieu of hello.
“Okay, catch me up,” Eliza orders. “How did all these new developments come to pass?”
“Well, I just saw Nate at his bar, and he invited me to Budapest for spring break.”
“Wow.”
“After he told me he’s in love with me.”
“Double wow.”
“Yeah.”
“And you said Hot Jack’s also back in the picture? Please don’t tell me he got down on one knee.”
“No, but basically. He asked me to come to Sydney to meet the family and be his girlfriend.”
“The nerve.”
“Right?”
Eliza’s amused chuckle tickles my ear. “Okay, so what are you going to do?”
