Third Life - Noelle Adams Page 0,30
the card beneath it. On this one, he’s just written a date and the number of the room in the hotel he’s reserved. And four more words before his name. No pressure. No strings.
I understand what he’s saying. What he wants to be clear about. He’s not pursuing a relationship with me, and he doesn’t want me to think it’s anything like that.
Not that I would ever believe any such thing.
It’s the last thing in the world I would ever believe.
I’m staring at the card, processing the swell of excitement rising inside me, when my phone rings. Ridiculously I think for a second that it must be Richard, that he somehow found my phone number and predicted the exact moment I opened his package.
It’s not him, of course. That would be ridiculous. It’s Ashley.
“Hey!” she greets me, sounding unusually excited. “Guess what?”
“Are you pregnant?”
“What? No. Why would you ask that?”
“I don’t know. Just a question. You were all excited about something.”
“Not about me. About you.”
“What about me?”
“Sean has a friend who wants to meet you.”
“What? What friend?”
“A friend. He’s a great guy and really cute. I think it might be the perfect match for you.”
“Ashley.”
“What? I thought you were trying to date.”
“I am. I am. It’s just...”
“Are you that excited about the guy from a few days ago?”
“No. I mean he was okay, but I’m not that excited. I’ll meet this guy if you think he’d be good.”
“What’s the matter?” Ashley’s tone has changed. “Something’s happened.”
“Nothing’s happened.”
“Shit, Gillian. Did he... did Richard...?”
I sigh and admit the truth. “He sent me another glass. He wants me to meet him in San Diego in a few weeks.”
“Are you going to do it?”
“Probably.”
Ashley doesn’t answer, which immediately makes me feel defensive.
“Just say it,” I tell her.
“I don’t have anything to say. Really. If you want to go, you should go.”
“Why shouldn’t I go? I know I’d have an amazing time.”
“I know you would. And if that’s all it would be, then you should definitely do it. I just don’t want you to...” She pauses and starts again. “Look, I know what it’s like. To spend time with a guy, knowing there’s not supposed to be strings. Sometimes the strings happen anyway. They happened for me. They happened with Sean. And it was just my good luck that he felt the same way. I could have just as easily gotten my heart broken. And with this guy...”
“I know. I know he’s not Sean.” My voice is matter-of-fact. It hurts just a little bit to admit it, but I haven’t been fooling myself here. I know there’s no hope for a happy ending with Richard.
There never was.
Sean might have been closed off a few years ago when Ashley first hooked up with him, but he was never at Richard’s level of detachment. Never even close.
Ashley says, “Okay. I wasn’t assuming anything. But I know you like him, and he sounds... pretty damn amazing. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t. I know what I’m doing. And I don’t want to miss out on some once-in-a-life experiences just because I’m afraid.”
“Okay. Okay. Then you shouldn’t. You need to do what’s best for you. Just promise me one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Promise me that if you start to want more from him or if you start to say no to good things in your real life because of him, that you’ll rethink it. That you’ll get some distance. I just don’t want something that’s been good for you to end up breaking your heart.”
“I promise. I promise I will. I don’t want a broken heart either. I’m going to be careful. I’ll put a stop to it as soon as it might hurt me. But I’m not there yet. I’m really not. And I want to see him again.”
“Then you should, as long as you’ll let me and Sean set you up with George.”
“His name is George?”
“Yes. It’s George. It’s a perfectly decent name for a really great guy. You’ll let us set you up?”
“Yes. I’ll let you set me up. But I’m out of town for the next couple of weeks for work. Then I’ll be going to San Diego for the weekend with Richard. So it will have to be after that.”
“Fine. I’m thinking we might have you both over for dinner. That might be a good way to get to know him without the pressure of the date.”
“That sounds great. Just plan it for after San Diego.”
I hang up the call, feeling satisfied