“That’s the kind of anger I want to see if Dick tries anything.”
“Cruz,” I whined. “Please stop. I’m really trying.”
“Trying what, Jade? Trying to pretend you like someone?”
“How do you know I don’t like him? He’s actually pretty perfect for me,” I said, walking toward Third Street where I was meeting Richard.
“Perfect is fucking boring.”
I sighed. “Do you want to ruin this for me?”
“I think I do.”
“You have a show tonight, don’t you?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“You keeping tabs on me, More Jade?”
“Hardly. You told me you had a show when you texted me this morning. Remember? You said you had a show, and then you listed a dozen reasons why I should cancel my date.”
“I’m trying to be a friend here. I just don’t see the fucking point in going out with this guy,” he said, and he didn’t hide his irritation.
“I think we should go back to texting once a week. We’re talking too much. All the lines are getting jumbled.”
“No. I’ll stop. Have fun with Dick.”
I laughed. “Not sure how genuine that was but thank you.”
“Alright, I’ve got to get out on stage. I wrote some new shit, and I can’t wait for you to hear it,” he said.
“Send me the lyrics. You know I love your songs.” I stood in front of the restaurant, with one hand clutched to my chest.
“Alright. I can do that. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I needed to go, but I didn’t want to end the call. “Hey, Cruz?”
“Yeah?”
“I wrote a song, I um, I don’t know if it’s actually a song. I wrote it when I was in Honduras. It might be more of a poem. But I’ll show it to you after I clean it up, okay?”
“Can’t wait, More Jade. I’ll see you in a couple weeks. Go have fun tonight. You deserve it.”
A single tear rolled down my cheek and I wiped it away. Why was this so hard? “Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”
The phone went dead, and I shook it off. I stepped inside and Richard stood in the entryway. His dark wavy hair was a bit overgrown and shaggy. He wore dark jeans and a button-up.
“I was afraid you’d changed your mind,” he said.
There was humor in his tone, but I’m sure there was some truth to his words. Richard wasn’t hurting for female attention. The hostess was currently shooting daggers at me. He was gorgeous, as well as being a really good guy. His only negative was that he wasn’t Cruz Winslow.
“Don’t be silly. I’m glad I’m here.” The hostess led us to our table, and Richard and I dropped in the chairs across from one another.
He ordered a bottle of wine and an appetizer while we perused the menu. I reached for my phone to turn my ringer off so I wouldn’t be distracted during dinner, and I noticed a new email. The waiter was busy opening our wine and having Richard sample it, so I decided to take a quick peek.
“Oh my gosh, Richard.” I gasped.
“What happened?”
“I got an interview,” I squealed. I literally squealed. I never squeal. But I was overcome with excitement.
“Amazing. Where?”
I bit down on my bottom lip. I needed a minute to process. “NYU.”
“Shit, Jade. That’s amazing. That’s your top choice, right?”
“It is.”
“Things are happening. I can feel it. I guess now I won’t be an asshole telling you I heard from Harvard. I’m flying out in three weeks for my interview.”
I picked up my wine glass and held it out to him. “Cheers to us.”
“Cheers to us.”
We clanked glasses and I dropped my phone in my purse. This is what all the hard work was for.
“Thanks for coming tonight. So, are you and the rock star still friends? He didn’t seem too crazy about me at the airport.”
I laughed and reached for a piece of bread. “He’s protective. We’re good friends.”
“You know, I know a little bit about what happened before you left for Honduras.” He held his hands up in apology. “Jessica told Dean about your accident, and he told me. It’s not going anywhere. No one is gossiping to be cruel. But I care about you,” he said.
I was annoyed with Jessica, but there was nothing mean spirited about her. She was just chatty. She also didn’t know much, only that I’d been caught in an argument with one of the bandmates in Exiled and Cruz hadn’t been there. She didn’t know about him being practically unconscious from Ambien or any of the details of our breakup. I was thankful that the only ones who knew what happened were Dad, Sara, Sam, and Ari. And I trusted them one hundred percent.
“Well, thank you for caring. But I’m doing well.” I smiled.
We placed our order, and I sipped my wine.
“You just got your first interview to medical school. It’s impressive.”
“Thank you. You should be very proud too,” I said.
“I am. But I’m equally excited that you finally agreed to go out with me. I know it’s hard after you’ve been with someone for a long time. But just because you feel a connection to someone, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good for you. Take it from me. I learned the hard way.”
“So, what happened with you and your girlfriend?” I asked, setting my glass down and scanning the room. The dim lighting gave the place an elegant feel. There were white tablecloths and candles on every table. I’d never been to this particular steakhouse, but I was glad I came. Today had been a good day.
“Well, let’s see. We dated all through high school. So, we had a history. Our families were very close. I was pretty certain she was the girl, you know?”
“Oh wow. It was very serious then.”
“Yep.”
“And she cheated on you? Had there been other problems in the relationship?”
“I guess. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, right? I thought we were happy. I mean, I loved her. I thought that’s what mattered most. But Demi didn’t think I gave her enough time or attention. You know, our major requires a lot out of us. She just couldn’t understand how much time I had to commit to my studies. So, we argued occasionally over that kind of stuff,” he said, popping a piece of bread in his mouth and I laughed at how casually he said it.