“Whatever, Maya.” I turned toward the door to leave, but she caught me by the arm.
“Avery… please don’t be angry with me. You don’t have to go. I’m gonna jump in the sho—”
I held up a hand to stop her. “No, I do have to go. I just got off a plane, I don’t feel like arguing with you. We’ll talk another time.” I shrugged away from her touch and left, still wondering what the hell had happened when I pulled into my parking space at home thirty minutes later. Is this what Tori was talking about when she said that sometimes chemistry and compatibility couldn’t force two people to work? Because one thing I wasn’t going to deal with was a relationship where things were constantly hot and cold. One week we’re at Pier 1 looking at table settings “just for fun” and two weeks later, stopping by to see her after being out of town was smothering her. That didn’t make any sense.
Through Tori, I’d met and dated seven different women who were supposedly ‘perfect’ for me. The first six didn’t work, and at this point, number seven was going downhill fast. Maybe she was on to something with her little ‘meant to be single’ mantra, because if this was the type of stuff I was going to have to put up with… I wasn’t.
This was bullshit.
— Tori —
This is beautiful.
Whenever I came to visit Renee’s San Diego home, after eating excessive amounts of whatever her husband, Eric, pulled off the grill, I inevitably ended up on the balcony of the guest room. The ocean view always brought me a sense of peace, and with all of the other recent adjustments to my life, it felt more serene than usual. Last year, I didn’t make it down to see her because I was so wrapped up in things with Rafael, but never again. I would always make time for my friend, as she always made her way to Dallas to see me.
“I thought I’d find you out here.” I smiled at Renee as she stepped out onto the balcony with me and slipped an arm around my waist. “Mel is already passed out after eating all of that food.”
I dropped my head onto her shoulder as I laughed. “I don’t know where she puts it all, but she certainly does put it away.”
After a few quiet moments, Renee gave me a little squeeze. “Okay, so talk. Tell me what’s going on with you.”
“Going on how?”
“Girl, please,” she said, pulling me over to the outdoor sofa. “You know what I’m talking about. In the last six months, you’ve gotten divorced, sold your business, put your house on the market, and gave up on love… it sounds like a mid life crisis, but you’re not quite old enough for that yet. Now that I’ve got you in person, I need you to tell me what the hell is going on.”
Pushing out a heavy breath, I propped my elbows on my legs, and rested my chin against my hands. “I… don’t know. I don’t know, Ren. I would love to blame Rafael and the divorce for putting all of this in motion, but really… I wasn’t happy before that.”
“Well, duh.” Renee rolled her eyes, pushing her thick veil of honey-blonde locs over her shoulder.
“You knew?”
“I sensed it. I mean, you’ve told me bits and pieces of what’s been going on with you, but we’ve been friends for years, I can tell when you’re holding back. I want the real deal.”
I let out a little chuckle. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You’ve always been able to read me.”