Page 73 of The Roommate Problem
Or had been. Until she screwed it all up.
“Don’t say ‘I told you so,’ Lilly.” She glared at her friend.
Lilly held up her hands in defense. “I wasn’t going to say it.”
“Yeah, but you were thinking it. I could see it on your face.” Or maybe that was just her own judgmental guilt reflecting back on her.
Pru squeezed her hand. “Mo, everyone knows sleeping with a roommate is a bad idea, but we would never stop you from pursuing something meaningful with someone you care about.”
Lilly reached out to grab her other hand. “And I would never taunt you about being right when you’re hurting so much.”
She knew that. She was just so upset, and it was making her lash out.
“Now, what did he do?” Lilly asked. “Do we need to kick him in the balls? Burn all his clothing?”
“Oooh.” Pru’s lips curled in an evil smile. “Give us your nonna’s special laxative brownie recipe and we’ll make a batch for him.”
She let out a watery laugh. Seriously, she had the best friends in the universe. “No, no. You don’t have to do any of that. Honestly, this whole thing is my fault, and I’m sorry for not telling you August and I were together sooner.”
“You’re allowed to keep things to yourself.” Pru patted her hand with a soft smile.
“Yes,” Lilly agreed. “Sometimes things aren’t meant to be shared.”
But that’s exactly why she was in this mess. Because she hadn’t shared.
“I’m afraid that’s where you’re both wrong.”
She spilled out the rest of her story. Sharing with her friends how she kept the loan application from August—to which Lilly side-eyed her but graciously said nothing—and how she kept Agatha’s surgery a secret at the woman’s request, culminating in the explosion that happened Friday night when August arrived home and all her secrets blew up in her face. The anguish on his face haunted her every time she closed her eyes.
“I ruined everything,” she cried, grabbing another tissue as the tears threatened again.
“I’d hardly say you ruined everything, Moira,” Lilly said with a small shake of her head.
“Yeah,” Pru agreed. “I mean, sure, you withheld information, but Agatha did ask you to keep her health matters confidential. If you were a doctor, you’d be violating HIPAA laws by telling August.”
But she wasn’t a doctor. Just a woman who’d hurt the man she loved, deeply.
“And the flower shop does belong to Agatha, so August can’t get mad at you for not including him in that decision. I mean, he can…” Pru gave a little shrug. “But it’s kind of a dick move, considering he doesn’t own a lick of the place. Not his business, not his call.”
It wasn’t about the shop being his. It was about being left out of important decisions regarding his family. She’d done the very thing his parents used to do to him, and she felt awful about it. But she didn’t share that part with her friends. Lilly was right. Some things a person was allowed to keep to themselves. Even though he hadn’t asked it of her, she knew August did not want his tempestuous childhood blabbed about.
Grabbing a spoon, she dug into the cheesecake, but the delicious treat didn’t have the answers she was seeking. All it had was sugary goodness, berry drizzle, and a graham cracker crust. It did, however, fill her stomach. Which she hadn’t realized had been so empty. The zucchini lasagna still sat in the fridge, a mockery of what she’d expected her weekend to be. Aside from the entire box of Lucky Charms—which she consumed in her bed while watching reruns of Scrubs to try and cheer herself up—she hadn’t eaten much.
As she finished the first piece, Pru slid a second slice in the box toward her.
“Are you guys going to let me eat all the cheesecake because I’m sad and pathetic?”
Please say yes.She was wallowing right now, and everyone knew cheesecake calories didn’t count when you wallowed.
“No.” Lilly grabbed a spoon of her own and dug a dainty portion off the third piece. “You get to have the extra piece because you’re sad, but you’re not now nor have you ever been pathetic, Mo. Not since the day I met you.”
“Awe, Lil.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Shut it and eat your extra cheesecake.”
A small smile tilted her lips. At least she still had her friends. They meant the world to her, and she’d be lost without them. Still, August had come to mean a lot to her, too. And she suspected he’d come to be a lot more because…
“I think he’s my soul mate. August.”
