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She rolls her eyes at him. “Only if you treat it like a date. You can just talk, drink coffee, and then go your separate ways.”
He stares at her for a moment, like he’s trying to fathom how that would work. “Surely, if we keep going for coffee, or drinks… or even dinner… that’s just like dating, but without the sex.”
“Oh, my God…” Ella’s clearly getting exasperated and I hold up my hands, turning to Drew.
“Forget about sex and try calling her. See how she responds.”
“To what?”
“You… you idiot.”
He nods his head, although I wonder what right I have to give advice about dating, or women, given my current predicament.
In a way, I wish I’d been able to stay in Newport for a little longer, but responsibility beckoned, so I drove back to the city on Monday morning.
I surprised myself by spending the rest of Sunday afternoon and evening with Drew and Ella, and joining in the barbecue they’d planned, but in reality, I think I was just putting off that inevitable moment when I had to face the loneliness of my bedroom.
When I closed the door behind me, I was engulfed by memories, the sights and sounds of everything Livia and I had done in there swirling around my head. The room is swathed in our love, and there was no escaping it, even in my fitful sleep. I kept waking up, imagining she was beside me, the disappointment building every time I realized the bed was empty.
In the end, I was relieved to get up, and after my shower, I went downstairs to find Pat in the kitchen. There was no-one else around, and I sat while she made me some breakfast.
“I’m going back to the city,” I said, and she turned to look at me, although she kept stirring the eggs.
“Today?”
“This morning. As soon as I’ve eaten.”
She nodded her head and turned back again. “Will you be back next weekend?”
“I don’t know. I’ll call you.”
She tipped the eggs onto a plate, adding some toast, and brought it over, putting it down in front of me.
“What’s happened?” she asked.
I sighed. “I hurt Livia… badly. She’s gone back to her parents’ place in Maine.”
“You’ve broken up?”
“I don’t know. She said she needs some time to work out if she can forgive me, and if she can trust me again.”
She frowned. “Y—You didn’t cheat, did you?”
“No. It was nothing like that. But I screwed up, Pat. I really screwed up.”
“Then you need to make it right again.”
“I know. But first, I need her to let me.”
She tipped her head slightly. “She might have asked you to wait, but don’t let her make the running. Show her how much you want her back. Don’t give her a reason to doubt that… not for a second.”
“I don’t want to crowd her.”
“I’m not suggesting you do. But give her a few days… maybe a week, and then call her, just to see how she is. Don’t pressure her for answers, but let her know you’re thinking about her.”
“Oh… I’m thinking about her.”
Pat smiled then, and left me to eat my breakfast. Thirty minutes later, I was behind the wheel of my car, on my way back to the city. Ella and Drew still hadn’t surfaced, but I asked Pat to let them know where I’d gone.
