When her tears stopped, she spoke. “Why were you so upset about Trupti and Craig?”
“Because she slept with him.”
“So? You were sleeping with me. I don’t get it.”
I pulled away, looking her in the eye. “No, no. They slept together two years ago at my company’s Christmas party. On my desk.”
Lyra did a double take. “Wait, what?”
I nodded. “Just days before she dumped me. I was literally holding an engagement ring in my hand when she ended it. And when I saw him at the resort, I called her and she got weird. I asked if something happened with them. She said he hit on her but nothing happened. Turned out that was a lie.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of that?”
“I thought I did. I mean, not the resort stuff. But the sleeping-together-at-the-party stuff”
Lyra shook her head. “No, I thought you meant they were sleeping together now. After you’d broken up. I had no clue this happened.”
“Shit, I was so drunk, I just thought you knew, which is why I got so pissed at you. Now that I look back on it, I feel really fucking dumb.”
Her eyes were puffy from her tears, but they softened. I was finally seeing the vulnerable side of Lyra that I was so desperate for that night outside of Bennet’s. “You must have thought I was so heartless.”
“Well, I mean, I didn’t say that,” I said with a soft, yet silly smile to lighten the mood. “Look, I was full of pride that night, but you need to know it wasn’t because I still have feelings for her. I dumped her the moment I got home from the ski trip. Yes, it was a long time coming, but let’s be real. You were the real reason I knew I wanted out. I wanted the possibility of you. And there was no you and me if I was still with her.”
Lyra smiled. “That’s nice.”
“And now that you’ve opened the door to this discussion, I need to tell you that my work calls are just that. Work. And Craig absolutely lied to you.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes pained.
“No, don’t you dare apologize, Lyra. You did nothing wrong. Nothing at all.”
“Well, I appreciate this grand gesture; it’s really nice. But I’m not ready to—”
“Oh, this isn’t my grand gesture,” I said, shaking my head vehemently.
“It’s not?”
“No. I’m here because I care about you, because I feel powerless right now and want so badly to take your pain away. I’m here because you show up for the person you love.”
Lyra’s eyes softened when I said that last word.
She looked completely overwhelmed, running her fingers through her hair as she looked around the room, tears welling in her eyes again. “If I’m lucky enough to give you a grand gesture, then it’ll knock your damn socks off, Lyra Castillo. Make no mistake about that. But not until you’re ready.”
“Okay.”
“Just promise me one thing,” I said, taking her hand in mine.
“What?”
“Be ready one day. It doesn’t have to be today, next week or even two months from now. But please, please…be ready one day.”
“I wish I could promise you that.”
“That’s fair,” I said, my heart sinking into my gut. I put on a brave face because this day wasn’t about me. It was about Lyra. “Well, that’s enough about that. Today is about sopapillas, candy, and gossip magazines. And I’ll even watch The Wizard of Oz…if I have to.”
“Really?”
“Sure. I know you love it. But I’m telling you, if that girl had just taken better care of her dog…”
“Yeah, you’ve made your case against Dorothy’s pet ownership abilities.”
“Good, just want to be clear about where I stand.”
Lyra rolled her eyes, and for just a second, I felt a tinge of normalcy between us. “You’re impossible.”
“Yeah,” I said with a smile, “that’s true.”
“But you’re here,” Lyra said, squeezing my hand.
“Yeah, I’m here,” I said. “And I’m not going anywhere until you kick my ass out. So let’s yellow brick road this bitch.”
Another laugh left her lips, and I smiled to myself as she started the movie.
I grabbed my phone and sent a simple text to Peter.
-Thanks, man.
Chapter 26
LYRA
Three days later…
“Okay, I’m just going to say it,” Maren said as we left the library and headed out for lunch. Spring was always her slow time at the candle shop, so she had more free time to meet me for lunches. It was really nice, especially after losing Abuela. Maren was like a sister to me, and I found myself relying on her for emotional support even more than ever, especially as I was still not sure what to do about Dev.
“Say what?”
“Vern… He’s sexy.”
“Wait, what?”
“The man can dress. He has this old-fashioned charm about him, and I dig it.”
“That’s because every time you come in, he flirts up a storm. Believe me, when you’re not there, he’s a total curmudgeon. The man literally counts down the days until breaks. If we went back there right now, he could tell you how many days until the end of the school year.
“Hey, can we try that calzone place?” Maren said. “I love those things, and Peter’s not a fan. I gotta seize the opportunity.”
“You’re so lame,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Is this what engagements are like? Scheming to eat food the other doesn’t like?”
“Yep,” she said with a decisive nod.
“Fine, whatever,” I said, crossing the street and heading to Ben’s Calzones. I felt a slight twinge in my stomach when I remembered Dev was the last person I went there with. “So, I have something to ask you.”
“Shoot,” Maren said.
“What should I do about Dev?”
“Excuse me?” Maren asked, looking perplexed. She stopped in front of the restaurant, which was a relief, because if we were going to dive into this conversation, I was in no state to be stepping up to a register and ordering food.
“What’s that look?”
“I mean, you’ve never once asked me for relationship advice, in all of our friendship. You know what you want and you go for it.”
“Well, this time I don’t know what to do.”
“Why not? He admitted he acted like an asshole. You heard the full story of what happened. If I’m honest, I’m surprised you didn’t make up the day he brought you sopapillas and magazines. That was really sweet.”
“It was. But I just wasn’t ready. I’m having trouble pulling myself out of my grief.”
“I can see that. And that’s just going to take some time. But wouldn’t you rather be as happy as possible while you deal with your grief? I mean, you’re not betraying Abuela if you’re happy.”
Tears welled in my eyes as the gravity of Maren’s words hit home. Was that it? Was I feeling guilty about the idea of being happy again? Would I be abandoning her memory? Would I be dishonoring her somehow?