“Trust me, I speak from experience and it’s not that simple.” Shaking his head, he reached for another slice of pizza and tossed it on his plate. “I’d just rather not go there again. Not now. Not a year from now or whenever the hell this embargo thing ends, just…not interested. End of story.”
The look on her face told him he was trying her patience, but he didn’t care. She had no idea how fed up he was with the whole situation. He could finally breathe freely because he took the pressure off himself to try to emulate what his parents and grandparents had.
“You’re angry and you’re hurting right now. I get it and I’m sorry you feel that way. Just promise me that you’ll also try to be a little more open-minded about your future.”
“I am being open-minded, Skye. There’s a world of possibilities out there waiting for me. Just because marriage isn’t one of them anymore doesn’t make my life any less fulfilling. Plenty of people go through their entire lives without committing to another person.”
She frowned. “You’re right. They do. But that doesn’t mean they’re all okay with that decision. We’re all individuals, Elliott. Why does it all have to be black or white?”
Raking a hand through his hair, he sighed. “I…I don’t know. It just feels better to take that pressure off of myself.”
Apparently she must have felt like the conversation was over because she quickly changed it. “The wedding we’re doing this weekend has a guest list of three hundred! Can you believe it? And the reception is being held at this massive historical home in Winston-Salem. It’s going to be a nightmare.”
Message received and Elliott was kind of relieved himself. It did help to say everything out loud, but she wasn’t going to change his mind. The old saying of “Once bitten, twice shy” certainly came to mind along with the old “Fool me once” one.
And he was definitely done being a fool.
It was only eight-thirty when Skye slowly got to her feet. “I think our weekly therapy sessions are done.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re fine, Elliott,” she said with a hint of annoyance. “There’s nothing else for us to talk about and really, from this point forward, I think Tyler and your other friends would be of more help than I would.”
He didn’t fully agree, but it was clear nothing was going to get settled tonight. Standing up, he slid his hands into his pockets and offered her a small smile. “Thanks, Skye. For what it’s worth, I’ve enjoyed our time together.”
She didn’t respond, and as they walked to the front door together, Elliott felt mildly disappointed that she was leaving already.
“You don’t have to rush out, you know,” he said casually. “I realize we don’t have to talk about me and my situation, but that doesn’t mean you have to jump up and leave.”
Skye looked extremely perplexed by his statement.
Stepping in front of her, Elliott stopped her from going any farther. “Okay, there is something on my mind and if I don’t ask, it’s going to drive me crazy.”
Her eyes went wide. “Um…o-kay…”
“Did I do something wrong?”
Now she frowned. “When?”
“I don’t know…tonight? Ever?”
“Elliott, what are you talking about?”
“I want to know why you’re rushing out of here,” he quickly stated. “We’ve known each other for years and I thought we were having fun hanging out together these past few weeks, but now you can’t wait to get out of here! So…what’s the deal?”
Maybe he just didn’t want to be alone and was taking it out on her, but he didn’t think that was it. Whatever was going on, it had to do more with Skylar than it did with him. He truly couldn’t imagine what he possibly could have done to offend her. They always got along and they never had any issues before, so he was truly stumped.
“I’m not rushing,” she murmured, but she also wouldn’t look him directly in the eye.
Feeling bold, Elliott gently grasped her by the shoulders and she flinched. “Skye, come on. Is it because we’re sneaking around behind Josie’s back?”
Her eyes went almost comically large. “What?! I mean…we’re not sneaking around, Elliott! God, you make it sound like we’re having an illicit affair or something!”
“Okay, so poor choice of words,” he admitted. “But you know what I’m saying. Is that what’s bothering you?”
“If I say yes, can I go?” It was followed by a nervous laugh and he knew he couldn’t let her leave until he got a straight answer from her.
“Skye, come on. I’m already dealing with all kinds of rejection issues, so can you please just spare me the chase and tell me what I did so we can move on?”
Her shoulders sagged and she let out a long breath. “Fine. It’s not you; it’s me. You and I never hang out alone and knowing what your family said to you about the whole dating embargo thing just makes me feel guilty. I mean, I know we’re not dating or anything, but…”
“Yeah, you don’t have to worry about that,” he said with a small laugh, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “Because…well…that’s crazy. No one would think twice about you and I hanging out together.” He let out another laugh and quickly noticed that she wasn’t laughing with him. If anything, she looked hurt.
And then she looked pissed.
“What? I just meant that we’ve been friends for so long and you’re practically family, so…”
Holding up a hand to stop him, Skye quickly stepped around him. “No, you’re right. I guess I’m just overthinking things.”
Her words made sense, but her tone told him she was definitely not happy. “Skye…”
“No. It’s fine. Really. Not a big deal.”
It wasn’t until her hand was on the doorknob that Elliott decided enough was enough. “Obviously it’s not fine!” he snapped. His patience was shot and his loud tone was enough to shock them both into silence. “Look, maybe I’m overreacting here, but I’m telling you, the way you’re acting just seems off. And for you to be worried about anyone thinking we’re dating is just…”
“It’s what?” she asked tightly.
“Um…”
“It’s weird because I’m Josie’s friend? Or unthinkable because everyone thinks we’re like family?” Her tone was sharp and her expression fierce, and clearly he had touched a nerve. “Or…or…maybe I’m so unattractive compared to all the other women you’ve dated that it just wouldn’t be believable for you to want to date someone like me?”
Say what now?
“Skye, that’s not…no one ever said you weren’t attractive,” he quickly corrected. “You’re beautiful–probably one of the most beautiful women I know.”
“Oh, really?” And yeah, the sarcastic tone was strong.
“Yeah, really.”
She snorted with disbelief.
Elliott moved a little closer and gently grasped her shoulders. “Skye, I don’t know where any of this is coming from and I want you to know that I think the world of you. You’re a good friend and you’ve been very gracious to me during this whole wedding drama and I hate that you have some sort of issue with me–like you’re mad at me for something that I don’t know anything about.”