“Thanks for telling me…I guess.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have said anything at all because there’s no point. If she’s not going to do anything, then it doesn’t matter. But…Charlie told me he has feelings for her.”
Now, she truly looked distraught, the light leaving her eyes as the hope drained from her face. Her gaze dropped, she took a deep breath, and she looked devastated, her fingers fidgeting with her hair.
I hated this, so much. “I’m sorry, Kat. I’m so sorry…”
She wouldn’t look at me, like if she did, she would start to cry. “What did he say…exactly?”
“I guess he’s felt this way for a while…but he would never do anything because of the situation.”
Her eyes stayed down. “I…I thought we might get back together. He broke up with me so suddenly, and I thought he would realize it was a mistake and come back… But he doesn’t feel that way at all, does he?”
I didn’t want to lie and give her false hope, but I didn’t want to tell the truth and crush her spirit either.
She lifted her gaze and looked at me, like a frightened animal.
“No…”
She inhaled a deep breath, her eyes slowly starting to well up. “Oh fuck…” She dropped her gaze again and looked at the table so she could control her emotions.
My hand moved to hers on the table, and I squeezed her fingers.
She sniffled then grabbed the cocktail napkin to dab the corners of her eyes.
I knew she still cared about him, but I hadn’t understood how deeply until now. “I thought things were going well with Nathan?”
“I mean…they’re fine. We’re having fun. But…that’s it.” She pulled her hand away from mine.
“Just because Nathan isn’t the right one doesn’t mean the next guy won’t be. Kat, you’re amazing. You’re going to find an amazing guy who will love you so much he can’t imagine his life without you.” She was so gorgeous, so fun, so interesting. I knew Charlie’s feelings for Denise were strong if he would walk away from Kat without looking back. So, they just weren’t meant to be.
“I know, but I really loved Charlie. When I pictured myself in a wedding dress, he was the man watching me walk down the aisle.”
Now I wished Denise had never relocated here. I wished I weren’t having this conversation. I wished I didn’t have to watch my best friend get crushed the way Evan crushed me. “I know, girl…”
She grabbed her drink and finished the rest of it. After a few deep breaths, she calmed herself, cleansed her emotions, and stared out the window somberly. “I guess I really need to move on…because it’s not going to happen.”
“Yeah.”
She turned back to me. “I guess I needed to know the truth…as much as it hurts, so I can have closure and move on.”
I respected her attitude. She was strong. “So…you think I should tell them about the other’s feelings and give them your blessing?”
She looked totally caught off guard. “What?”
“You know…because they want to be together.”
“You’re serious right now?” She cocked her head and turned vicious. “They should be together while I just stand there and watch? That’s completely inappropriate. She’s my friend, he’s the guy I’m still in love with, you’re my best friend… That just sounds like a fucking nightmare.”
I’d hoped this wouldn’t be her reaction, but she was emotional and upset, and she wasn’t ready. “So, I should just keep it to myself?”
“Yes. We were together for two years. How could anyone expect me to just shrug it off and be okay with it?”
If she knew Charlie’s feelings were much deeper, she might have a change of heart, but I could never tell her that…because that would be too much.
“Absolutely not. You take that shit to the grave.”
I didn’t react to her words, didn’t show my disappointment. “Alright.”
She grabbed my drink and took a sip.
“I just think…if you really care about Charlie…you would want him to be happy.” He’d been feeling this way for Denise for a long time, but he didn’t do anything about it out of respect for Kat’s feelings. He even ended their relationship because he didn’t want to lie to her, pretend those feelings didn’t exist when he was strongly attracted to someone else. He did every honorable thing possible.
“Of course. He meets someone and falls in love and proposes…I would understand. I would be happy for him, even if it hurt. But to have to watch him be with my friend and have to look at it all the time…that’s rough. Because we’re always hanging out, so they’ll always be together. It’ll literally be in my face all the time. No, I can’t do that.” She shook her head. “Could you?”
If I had to see Dax with Denise, it would kill me. When she’d made a comment about having him, it had made me possessive when he wasn’t even mine. It would be difficult to be in those shoes and deal with that pain every day. It would be difficult for anyone, almost too much to ask. But I knew I would, because it was the right thing to do. “Hard to say…”
Instead of heading back to the apartment to talk to Charlie, I texted Dax. I need you. Charlie wouldn’t text or call out of fear that Kat would see his message, so I wouldn’t have to deal with him until I walked in the door. So, I wanted to avoid that as long as possible. I wasn’t the one with a broken heart, but I was devastated, and I reached out to Dax like a lifeline…which was a first.
He texted me back instantly. Sweetheart, I’m here. What do you need?
Can I come over?
Always.
I walked a few blocks to his penthouse, checked in with security, and rode the elevator to his floor. His whole world was vastly different from mine, but instead of seeing him as some rich suit, I saw him as Dax…the man. The doors opened and revealed him standing there, in just his sweatpants. His expression was focused on mine, his eyebrows rigid, his jaw clenched tightly, like my well-being was the single most important thing in the world to him. He cared about every emotion I felt, volunteered to carry my baggage like he wanted to be miserable with me rather than happy alone.
I moved into his chest and rested my face against his hardness, feeling those thick arms wrap around me like armor. He pulled me closer, his chin resting on my head, his arms squeezing me tightly. He didn’t flood me with a million questions. He gave me all the time I needed, provided silent comfort that was better than a long-winded conversation.
I already felt better.
I pulled my head back, feeling him brush his lips across my forehead and kiss me before he loosened his hold on my body. “Talk to me.”
“I just had dinner with Kat.”
Understanding entered his gaze as his hands slid down my arms until they released me altogether.
“She was so hurt…devastated.”
His eyes softened.
“And I hated doing that to her, hurting her like that.” Making your best friend cry was the worst feeling in the world. I wished Charlie had never met Denise, that this whole thing had never happened. I had to do the dirty work because I was the only one who could make it as painless as possible.