Page 54 of Love You Still
“Anything else you want to tell us?” Leia asks, throwing her arm over my shoulder and pulling me to her side. “All you did was talk all night long?”
“I mean, we haven’t truly spoken to each other properly in sixteen years. There’s a lot for us to catch up on.”
“No one is disputing that. But you honestly want us to believe that a man who has loved you most of his life, who has beenpractically stalking you for a date and built your dream home, only wanted to chat with you?”
“I could see Vance doing something like that,” Audrey chimes in, giving me a small smile before shifting her attention to Bristol and Leia. “I think it’s sweet.”
“It is sweet, but so is Connor, and we all know what happened when you showed up at his house and told him how you really felt,” Bristol deadpans, causing Leia and I to laugh at Audrey’s expense.
“Touché,” she grumbles before laying her hand on my shoulder. “I tried, but you’re on your own with this one.”
All three ladies stare at me, waiting for me to give them any more information. I could keep my mouth shut, but they’d never let me hear the end of it. “Something might have happened.” I sigh, not wanting to talk about it, but knowing neither of them will relent until I do.
“Come on!” Bristol whines. “Let me live vicariously through you. The three of you are having more sex than I will be for the foreseeable future. These stories will get me through.”
“Umm, you mean the two ofthem. My dating life is drier than the Sahara Desert.” Leia chuckles humorously.
“He showed me around the house, and it’s amazing. It’s everything I imagined it would be, and so much more. Apparently, my mom found an old diary of mine, where I planned out how I wanted to turn the house into a home, and he followed the plan to the letter, leaving anything I hadn’t specified neutral.”
“Now we’re getting to the good stuff,” Audrey responds, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. “What else happened?”
“We may have had sex…” My voice trails off, my cheeks heating in embarrassment. “A few times.”
“How many times?” Bristol chimes in.
“So many I lost count. No one has ever made me feel so cherished in my entire life. It makes me wonder if he really does still love me after all these years.”
“Vance has never been serious about being with another woman. Sure, he went on a few dates and gets plenty of attention, but he never takes them up on their offers.” Leia grabs my hand in hers, squeezing it.
“I know. He told me he tried dating for a little while, but they weren’t me.”
“How romantic.” Leia swoons, causing Bristol, Audrey, and I to roll our eyes. “I can’t wait for you two to settle down together and maybe have a kid or two.”
“Kids have never been in the equation for me.” Suddenly, my eyes widen in shock as I realize Vance and I had unprotected sex a few times over the course of the night. The first few times last night were thought out, but this morning was different. Even though we talked about being clean, and how we haven’t had any other sexual partners, I didn’t even consider the chance of me getting pregnant. I curse internally as I begin mentally calculating where I am in my cycle.
I jump in surprise when Leia fires off questions at a rapid pace. “Are you two back together? Are you going to stay now? Did he ask you to marry him?”
“Marry him? Jesus, Leia, what fairy-tale world do you live in? We went ononedate. I hardly think that’s appropriate,” I respond as I push to my feet.
“Seli, I hate to break it to you, but that man has it bad. He bought a house for you,” Bristol says as she holds her arms out for me to help her stand.
“He bought a house forhimself.”
“Yes, a thirty-something, self-proclaimed bachelor who hasn’t even had so much as a date in the last five yearsbought himself that big house.Yourdream house,” Bristol says sarcastically as I pull her to her feet.
I head toward the front door, wanting to buy myself some time and think through what the girls are saying. These three have been firing nonstop questions at me since they walked through the door a few minutes ago. Sure, some things they are saying are true, but there must be a logical explanation for everything.
“I understand what it looks like to the three of you, but I never planned on staying here long term,” I remind them, unlocking the door. “All I’m waiting for is a call for an audition, and then I’ll be on my way back to the city.”
“What if that call doesn’t come?” Audrey questions, causing me to spin around on my heels.
“I don’t know,” I whisper, wrapping my arms around my middle. “I’ve asked myself the same question a million times since I came back to Tyson’s Creek, but I still don’t have an answer.”
“Take it from personal experience. You don’t want to miss out on the man of your dreams because of fear.”
“I never said I was afraid.”
Bristol throws her arm over my shoulder. “You didn’t have to. I understand running a dance studio in your hometown wasn’t what you dreamed you would be doing at this stage in your life, but things change. Dreams change.”