Life In Reverse(90)

Troy grabs a chair and joins Avery in their not-so-subtle interrogation. “First of all, what’s the deal with Grant? You’re dating both of them?”

I remove the vase from a cabinet underneath the sink, turning on the tap to fill it with water before facing them again. “You know I can’t date two guys at once.”

“Sign me up for that,” Avery counters as she reclines back, stretching her long legs under the table.

Troy folds his hands on top of his head. “If I wanted to be confused, I could’ve stayed in Oregon. Someone tell me what’s going on.”

Not wanting to drag this out, I grab a pair of scissors from the drawer then set the vase on the table. “I broke up with Grant,” I admit, casually trimming the ends of the roses before placing them in water. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. Troy frowns, while Avery’s lips stretch into a pleased grin as if she’s been waiting for this to happen.

“But he’s so nice,” Troy remarks. Now I’m frowning, guilt swirling around my stomach though I know it was the right decision.

“He is nice.”

“He’s too nice.” Avery throws her opinion into the ring. “He doesn’t challenge her. He’s, you know, boring?” She glances up at me with a knowing smile. “Nail meet head. No need to say anything more.”

I snort. “You. Need. Help.”

“How did he take it, Ems?” Troy asks. “I know it’s only been months. But still, you guys were friends before, and he told you he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you.”

Mixed emotion stirs, drawing out a sigh. “I know.” I twist to the side, resting my hip against the table. “He was great about it actually. Very gracious… very Grant.”

“Of course. Because he’s so… nice,” Avery emphasizes with a smirk.

Troy lets his hand fall to the table and picks up a broken stem, twirling it between his fingers. “And Vance?”

Just like that, my heart races. “He wants another chance and I’m thinking maybe we both deserve one. But there’s this whole other part of me that says, what am I supposed to do? Fall into his arms like he didn’t hurt me and it hasn’t been three years?” Avery kicks her chair back and stands, rising on tiptoe as she darts a glance over my shoulder. “What are you looking for?”

“The rules. I didn’t realize there were any when it came to the heart.” She holds out her hands in a sweeping gesture. “Please, do enlighten me.” I scowl, but all it does is make her grin. As usual, she has a strong point.

“Yeah, what she said,” Troy seconds, and the three of us laugh until my stomach hurts.

Avery swipes a finger across her cheek. “I’ll be right back. I need to fix my makeup.” She sashays out of the room and I stare at Troy.

He slides off the seat. “What?”

My eyes scan his body then return to his face. “Something is different. You’ve been spending more time than usual at the gym?”

His mouth edges up at the corner. “No.”

“What then?”

He leans his weight on the chair, arms resting over the back. “My parents came over yesterday.”

“What?”

“Believe me. I’m just as surprised as you are.” He flips the chair around and sits backwards, exhaling a sigh. “We talked. Actually, they talked and I listened.”

“And?”

“They apologized and my mother cried a lot. She said things.”

I move closer, placing a hand on his forearm. “Like?”

“Like they don’t care what my sexual orientation is, or who I date, or what I decide to do with my life. She said, ‘In your heart, you’re our son, and that’s the only thing that matters. That’s the only thing that should’ve mattered.’” Emotion gathers in my chest and I touch my fingertips to my throat. “You’re not going to cry on me now, are you? I don’t think I can handle any more tears.”

I shake my head. “No. I’m just… happy. Everything is changing.”

“It is.” Troy smiles at me with a lightness I haven’t seen in him for years. “And we can change with it, Ems. We can choose forgiveness.”

Avery comes back then, my mind stuck on his last few words. She pauses, inspecting my face. “Now what?”

My eyes briefly land on Troy before wandering to the calendar on the wall. The word Tuesday in big block letters glares at me. “What, is that we’re going out.” Troy and Avery’s gaze burns up the side of my cheek as I position the flowers in the center of the table.

“Care to tell us where we’re going exactly?” Avery latches onto Troy’s arm and hauls him to his feet.

“We’re going to Blue Monday.” My stomach flutters and I glance down at my clothing, thankful I changed out of my dress before I met up with Grant. I don’t want to waste any more time.

“What’s Blue Monday?” Troy asks as I shuffle them out the door.

Where I’ll find my heart.





THE CAB DRIVER speeds through the streets of New York, weaving and bobbing around cars and buses, nearly hitting a few pedestrians. Normally, my heart would be in my throat. But not tonight. Tonight the clouds carry me. Anticipation, not fear, fills me, reminding me of something Zack used to say before he’d go off on one of his crazy adventures. ‘Em, it’s always the three A’s—Anticipation, Adrenaline, Adventure.’” I feel like that right now. As if I’m about to embark on a new adventure, setting my life on a different course—one that certainly wouldn’t be the same without Vance Davenport in it. I know that now. I think I’ve always known that.