“But why?” Zoey said. Her voice grew louder. “What was it about her?”
“She didn’t need me,” Jonathan said. “She was independent, and she had her own thing going on. She spoke her mind. She told me what was wrong.”
Zoey looked forward and wouldn’t meet his eyes. Jonathan continued, “I loved you. Our relationship was great. Just because I was confused didn’t mean I wanted our relationship to end. I had already stopped seeing her, but it gnawed at me. I just thought we could talk about it. I thought if I told you, we could figure it out. I didn’t want to break up. Looking back on it now, a lot of it was she was there and you were…not.”
The server stopped their conversation, paper pad and pen in hand.
“I want a whole coconut crème pie,” Zoey said.
“Are you sharing?” the server asked.
“Nope. It’s all for me. And coffee. You might as well leave the pot. And a huge stack of napkins.” She held up her hand, showing four inches between her forefinger and thumb.
“And you?”
Jonathan looked over the menu. “A slice of the blueberry pie would be great. I’ll do coffee too.”
Zoey leaned forward. “You chose her.”
“I tried to talk to you,” Jonathan said. “I called you. I texted you. I tried to see you at Thanksgiving.”
Zoey shook her head, her eyes glued to the ceiling. “I would’ve forgiven you. You barely tried. You could’ve shown up with a fucking boombox that following weekend and I would’ve taken you back. Anything. You had a ticket already for Thanksgiving. You knew I would be in Spain with my dad. Driving by my mom’s house at Thanksgiving does not count as effort.”
He had earned all of the biting comments, all the snide remarks that came from that mouth. He had hurt her deeply, and now it was clear why she’d avoided him for eleven years. He got it now. There was still one small thing that bugged him.
Jonathan looked at the table instead of her. “You started dating Brady right after me.”
“A year after you. And so?” Zoey asked. “That had nothing to do with you. Besides, that’s ancient history.”
“Were you trying to get back at me?” Jonathan asked.
Zoey remained silent, invisible smoke probably coming out her ears.
The server dropped off the full pie in front of Zoey with a brick of napkins. Jonathan’s slice of pie looked tiny in comparison. The server also left a silver carafe with two coffee cups. Zoey said nothing as she poured only herself a cup.
Zoey unfolded napkin after napkin and started layering them around Jonathan’s neck, making sure his front was covered. After the fifth napkin, he asked, “What are you doing?”
“I don’t want your clothes to get messed up.” Then, she picked up the full pie, fluffy with crème, and launched it at his face. Crème burned his eyes and the taste of coconut hit his open mouth. Pieces of pie slid down his face and he caught the pie pan and flipped it over. He grabbed blindly for a napkin and wiped his eyes.
Two servers rushed to their table. “You can’t throw food in this restaurant.”
“I’m sorry,” Zoey said. “This is my ex-boyfriend. We haven’t seen each other in a really long time. That is the first and only time I will pie someone.”
A pause. “We get it. Does he deserve a towel?”
There was another pause. Jonathan tried to open his eyes, but his lashes were glued together by the pie filling.
“Sure. If you could bring a damp one as well, that would be great.”
When he heard the footsteps of the servers get fainter and fainter, he knew what he had to do.
“I dated Brady because I wanted to. Maybe it wasn’t the best timing, but not everything revolves around you. My entire life does not revolve around you.”
“I’m sorry,” Jonathan said to Zoey. He still couldn’t see, no matter how much he rubbed his eyes with a napkin. “I’m sorry for what I said. I’m sorry for what I did. If I could go back and do it all over, I would. I regret it so much. It has haunted me for the past eleven years. My life started going to shit when you and I broke up.”
“Is that because it didn’t work out? With her?”
“I know I hurt you. You were my best friend. I thought by being honest, I was being kind, but I didn’t think it through. She was a test that I absolutely flunked. I wish I would’ve married you. I wish it would’ve been us. I wish I had never met her. I wish I wouldn’t have lost you. I would kill for another shot with you.”
He paused and then said, “I will do whatever you want me to do to make it up to you.”
“Anything?”
“Absolutely anything. I want your forgiveness desperately.”
He felt the rough fabric of the towel on his face and he could finally open his eyes, like an hours-old puppy. His eyes burned and watered but he could see. He pulled out his wallet and plonked down three twenties. Zoey had actually done a great job missing the booth; the pie ended up on Jonathan or on the napkins.
“I know exactly what you can do,” Zoey said. He heard and saw the malice she had in store for him.
“How cold was it this morning?” Jonathan asked. The beach was deserted, with only faint lights coming from the beachfront restaurant. It sounded like a wedding was going on and everyone was oblivious that there was a man, just feet away, clad only in boxer briefs.
“Cold. Like Titanic cold,” Zoey said. A light blasted from her phone. She held it still between her fingertips to get a video. “So, Jonathan, tell me why we are here.”
He grumbled. “I am here since I hurt Zoey Elizabeth Benton. She is a beautiful goddess, and I said I would do whatever it takes to make it up to her.” He recited it perfectly from memory as they rehearsed it on the mile walk from the casino.
“And what did you do?”
“I was an absolute idiot,” he said. He was told to ad-lib this. “We broke up because I was confused and was hanging around a girl I shouldn’t have been. I hurt you, and I am so very sorry about that.” Jonathan paused. “You were the best thing to ever happen to me.”
“And?”
“And, if I hurt you again, you have permission to pierce my nipple and then tear the jewelry out.”
“And?”
“You can post this video on social media if I get out of line.”
“Okay, run in.”
Jonathan turned toward the lake. It was inky blue with a moon gleaming down the lake. There was a random boat out there, bobbing in the distance. He turned back. “Are you really making me?”
“Get your cute ass in there. Feel the balls shrivel,” she said. He looked back and started running. The water splashed around him, hitting him like a thousand daggers. Polar bear dips had only slightly prepared him for how cold it was. He let out a guttural sound, the cold indeed making his balls shrivel into himself, as promised. His breath puffed from him as he treaded water, hoping some movement would make the water warmer. He heard splashing and a female sound similar to his.
He dunked his face to get the rest of the pie residue off. When he lifted his head, he saw a figure breast-stroking toward him. She got close to him.
“Yep, still cold,” she said, letting out a similar guttural sound.