Page 105 of I Could Never

“Me too.” She flashed a sad smile.

Then the next thing I knew, Sydney had tears in her eyes.

“Shit. Why are you crying?”

She grabbed a napkin to wipe her eyes. “Because hearing you talk about her reminds me of how I still feel about my ex-husband. I’m out with a gorgeous man tonight, yet all I’ve been able to think about is Ray.”

Leaning back in my chair, I crossed my arms. “Well, aren’t we a dream team…”

Remarkably, once Sydney and I decided we were a lost cause, we were able to enjoy a meal together. All the pressure of the situation evaporated.

She told me more about her ex, and I recalled stories from Woodsboro. I even told her about the silicone breast insert chicken incident. She cackled so hard I’d thought she was gonna piss her pants.

When we’d finished dinner, Sydney and I wished each other well before we parted ways. I doubted I’d ever see her again, and that was okay. Our meeting had served a purpose; through each other, we’d learned things about ourselves tonight.

I stayed at the table to pay after she left, scrolling on my phone. I noticed I’d somehow missed a text from Carly.

Carly: I miss you.

I rubbed my thumb over the screen, as if to caress those words. Carly must have been thinking about me as intensely as I’d been thinking of her.

Josh: I’m sorry I didn’t see this come in. But how did you know I was thinking about you tonight?

The little dots moved as she typed.

Carly: Can you talk?

Josh: Yeah, give me a few. I’m in a noisy restaurant at the moment.

Newly motivated, I paid the bill and headed out to my car. As soon as I started the engine, I dialed Carly and put her on speaker.

“Hey,” I said.

“Did I interrupt your night?” she asked.

“There was nothing to interrupt.”

“Were you alone when you texted me?”

“I was.”

“You went to a restaurant by yourself?”

“Well, I’d met a woman there earlier.”

After a brief pause, she murmured, “Oh.”

“Can we talk about this kind of stuff?” I asked.

“I don’t really want to, but I also don’t want you to lie to me. So, yeah. Tell me.” She let out a long breath into the phone.

“It was the first time I’d attempted to meet someone new since I came back. And it was an epic fail. I wasn’t feeling it.”

“What was wrong?”

She wasn’t you, I wanted to say. “Just no chemistry. And I didn’t quite feel ready for the whole dating thing, to be honest.”

“I have a confession...” Carly said. “I just got home from a sort of ambush date that Christina arranged.”