Kat’s fiery temperament and personality are a lot like Georgina’s. Kat’s the only person I know who’s as gifted at twisting people around her finger as Georgina, not to mention ripping them a new asshole with a smile. Come to think of it, yeah, I should probably use Kat as a sounding board—as a proxy for Georgina—to help me figure out my best strategy for winning Georgina back.
“All right. I’ll tell you everything. But this stays between us, guys.” I look at Henn. “Although, of course, you can tell Hannah.” With that, I proceed to tell Kat and my two best friends the whole story. Everything from the panel discussion to the grant, and how it came about, to my conversation with Alessandra, to my regrettable kiss with Isabel in the garage. “The irony,” I say, in wrap-up, “is that kissing Isabel made me realize I only want Georgina.”
Kat snorts. “Good luck convincing Georgina of that.”
“Why? It’s true.”
“Maybe, but that’s the thing cheaters always say after they get caught. ‘Yes, baby, I cheated on you. But it only made me realize how much I only love you.’”
My shoulders slump in defeat.
Kat asks, “Before the party, did you and Georgina exchange ‘I love yous’?”
“No. Is that good or bad for me?”
“It’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, if you’d already exchanged the magic words with Georgina when you cheated on her, she’d think those words meant nothing to you.”
“Can we not say I ‘cheated’ on Georgina? I feel like that’s a bit dramatic for what I actually did. It was nothing but a stupid goodbye kiss.”
“It was cheating, Reed.”
I slump in my chair.
“As I was saying,” Kat says, “it’s a good thing you hadn’t already said the ‘L’ word to Georgina when you cheated on her. That saves you from Georgina thinking the words are meaningless to you. But, on the flipside, if you were to say ‘I love you’ now, after cheating on her, then Georgina will think you’re only saying that as a ploy to win her back.”
I exhale with exasperation. “This isn’t helping me. What’s your point? That I can never tell Georgina I love her now? That I’m fucked forever?”
Kat’s face lights up. “So, you do, in fact, love her?”
I pause. I’ve never said “I love you” to a woman before. I’ve said, “You drive me crazy” and “I can’t get enough” and “I care about you.” But, in this moment, there’s no doubt the word “love”—and nothing less—is the one that accurately describes my once-in-a-lifetime feelings for Georgina. “Yeah. I love Georgina like I’ve never loved anyone before.”
Kat clutches her heart. “Aw, sweetie.” She looks at me sympathetically for a beat, before her features contort sharply with anger. She swats at my shoulder. “What the hell is wrong with you, Reed? Why did you go into that garage with Isabel, in the first place?”
What the hell is wrong with me? Women have been asking me that same question my entire adult life. And I’m no closer to being able to answer it now. “How is this helping me?” I whisper-shout. “You told me to tell you everything so you can convince Georgina to forgive me. Flogging me for my stupidity isn’t useful.” I wave at the air. “You know what? Forget it. I’ll figure it out myself.” I stand. “Someone who isn’t drunk, drive me to Georgie right now. She’s got to be at her father’s condo in the Valley. I’ll go there now and tell her I love her and win her back.”
Kat stands and points at my chair like she’s commanding a misbehaving dog. “Sit your ass down, you clueless, impulsive, drunken fool! Do you want Georgina to swoon or scowl when you tell her the magic words for the first time?”
“I want her to swoon,” I admit softly.
“Then sit down.”
I flop down, feeling dejected.
“You can’t say ‘I love you’ to Georgina until you’re completely out of the doghouse, or she won’t believe you. She doesn’t trust you, Reed. You need to regain her trust before you’re allowed to say those magical words.”
“But when will she trust me again?” I boom—but then, I look around the party, realizing I said that far too loudly. I lean forward and whisper-shout, “How can I get myself out of the doghouse with Georgie when she won’t even call me back? Help me, Kat, for the love of fuck!”
Kat looks at Josh. “Have you ever seen him this pathetic before?”