“Well, what did she say exactly?”
“Hal.” He started laughing, and the sadness in his eyes went away when he looked at her, thank God. “Settle your ass down—she just wasn’t feeling me. It happens.”
She laughed with him, because regardlesss of everything else, she was so incredibly happy Jack was back that it was hard to stop smiling. She liked Alex as a romantic partner, but she realized she had the most fun hanging out with Jack. They’d gobbled down ice cream as they watched TV, and he hadn’t even judged when she’d licked the bowl and then helped him finish his ice cream as well.
Her phone buzzed. It was a text from Alex, but she didn’t feel like texting him until after Jack left. But when she looked at the text, it read: Can I call you? It’s important.
Hallie swallowed and wondered what was up. Was he regretting saying yes to the weekend in Vail? She responded: Of course.
“I have to take a call—I’ll be right back. Just sit and watch the movie,” she said as she stood and went into the bedroom.
“Like this guy will let me do anything else,” Jack muttered, scratching Tigger’s big head.
She went into the bedroom, closed the door, and sat down on her bed. When the phone rang, she answered with, “Tigger loves his toys.”
“Oh. Good.” Hallie heard Alex clear his throat before he said, “Listen, I’m really bad at this stuff, so I’m just going to say it. You seem really great, but I don’t think this is going to work.”
Hallie’s heart started beating in her neck as he continued to speak uncomfortably. “Some guy is going to be really lucky, because you’re an awesome girl, but I just don’t think I’m that guy.”
Hallie felt a little light-headed. “You’re, um, you’re breaking up with me?”
“I . . . I guess I am.” Alex’s voice sounded thick. “It’s not you, it really is just a me thing.”
“Okay. Uh, got it.”
“Hallie, please don’t—”
“Is this because I invited you to the wedding? Because if it’s too soon, I’m fine—”
“No, the wedding sounded like a blast. I just . . . I just don’t think we’re meant to be together.”
Hallie felt suffocated with the weight of rejection. She wasn’t enough for him. He didn’t want her. He didn’t want to go to the wedding with her. He’d rather be single than be with her. She managed to croak, “Okay, um, I have to go. Take care, Alex.”
“I’m sorry, Hal—”
She disconnected the call before she could embarrass herself further. Tears immediately filled her eyes, and she bit down on her lip to keep herself quiet. She felt like sobbing, like giving in to a big, sad cry, but Jack was on the other side of that door and she couldn’t bear the thought of him seeing her like that.
Especially when he’d also gotten dumped and was handling it like a champ.
But every time she got close to having her emotions under control, she thought of her sister’s wedding—where she and Ben would both be in the wedding party—and she lost it again.
The tears wouldn’t stop, and after a while she forgot about Jack entirely.
Until she heard the knock on the door. “Hal? Are you okay? Did you fall asleep?”
She wondered if she were quiet he’d assume the latter and leave.
“If you don’t make a noise in the next ten seconds, I’m coming in just in case you’ve fallen and can’t get up.”
“I’m fine,” she said, but he must’ve heard the tone because he said, “I’m coming in.”
The door opened a crack, and when he saw her, his face went from relaxed to dead serious. He swallowed and said, “Holy shit, what happened?”
He walked into the room, and in a second, his arms were wrapped tightly around her, which made her cry harder.
“It’s no big deal,” she said, kind of snuffling it out in a hiccupping sob, “but Alex broke up with me.”
“Oh, God,” he said, and she felt tension in his arms as he asked, “Did he say why?”
She shook her head and said, “Just the whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ bullshit.”
She tried to sound unaffected as she said it, but she felt unlovable at that moment, which made her too sad to act cool.
“Well, it is bullshit. You know that, right?” He was talking into her hair, his voice low. “He’s a moron, because you’re incredible and any guy would be lucky to scoop your cat’s fucking litter pan, do you hear me?”
That made her smile a little.
“Honestly, I didn’t know you liked him enough for him to hurt you this way.” He cleared his throat and sounded emotional when he said, “God, I’m so sorry that I didn’t know how hard you’d fallen.”
A tiny part of her was incredibly touched by that apology, by the fact that her friend felt bad for not reading her feelings better. But as Hallie lay there, staring into space, his first sentence gave her pause. I didn’t know you liked him enough for him to hurt you this way. When she pictured Alex’s face, she didn’t feel that sad. When she thought about no more dinners with him, she didn’t feel that disappointed.
“I didn’t know, either,” she whispered. “Hell, I don’t even know now. Is it awful that I think I could be sadder about getting dumped than about actually losing Alex?”
“Not at all,” he said into her hair, his arms staying tight around her. “I’m the same, Hal. Rejection feels like shit, even when it comes from someone who might not matter that much.”
“Don’t enable my bad behavior,” Hallie said around a half laugh.
“It’s true, though, horrible human.”
She laughed again and started to face him, Jack’s grip loosening so she could. She knew she looked hideous when he looked at her with a pitying smile. She said, “Shut up, I know I look good.”
He gently swiped under her lower lashes with his thumbs. “No comment.”
“The thing is,” she said, blinking fast to stop more tears, “I just really hate starting back at square one; with Alex, at least I had hope that I was maybe on the way.”
His eyes traveled over her face, and he said quietly, “I get that.”
Of course he does.
“And now I have to go to my fucking perfect sister’s wedding alone next week!” she cried, unable to stop herself from full-on bawling over that one. “I was so happy to call my mom the other day and casually drop that I had a boyfriend who would be coming with me, and now I have to roll into Vail with my tail between my legs.”
“No, you don’t.”
“And I don’t think I’ve ever told you about my ex, other than the fact that we broke up, but Ben is going to be IN the wedding. With me.” She pictured his face and groaned. “I’m going to look so pathetic.”
“You don’t have to go alone,” he repeated.
“Yes, I do. I don’t have anyone.” Her eyes filled with tears again.
“No. You don’t. Listen,” he said. “If you want, I’ll go with you. You can pretend I’m your boyfriend, and we can be the greatest fucking couple they’ve ever seen until we return home from the trip and break up.”
She sniffled and looked at his face. He looked serious. She asked, “You’d do that?”