Page 33 of A Lick and A Promise
“I’m not sure I get you,” I said. “Are you saying I should have picked Knox? Or are you just saying I shouldn’t be an Angel?”
She studied me, and she did it very closely.
What she didn’t do was answer.
“Well?” I pushed.
“You want my opinion?” she asked quietly.
Well…
Um…
Damn.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever asked Dream’s opinion on anything.
Was that part of her damage?
“Yes, I want your opinion,” I replied.
“Okay then,” she launched right in. “I think it was a toxic asshole move to give you an ultimatum. You’d been together two weeks. That wasn’t his place then, and arguably never would be. Though, just sayin’, if you two had more time in, had built your foundation, were looking at a future together, then I’d hope you’d both discuss important stuff like that and understand your partner’s position on it. Definitely take it into account.”
Two huge things were happening to me all at once.
First, I was thinking my flakey, hippie-dippy big sister might be wise, and somehow, I’d missed that.
Second, I was inwardly squirming because she was right about big things like, oh, I don’t know…me putting my untrained, inexperienced ass on the line going after human traffickers and drug gangs, and my partner maybe not being at one with it, but even so, having that discussion like two grown-ass adults and figuring it out.
“Luna,” she called, and I focused on her. “You didn’t have that time in. Knox throwing an ultimatum at you and forcing you to make a decision in the moment, not even giving you a day to think about it, time for you both to cool off so you could have a calm conversation about it, was not okay. At all. If that’s the kind of guy he is, then pardon the metaphor at this juncture, but you dodged a bullet.”
“Right,” I whispered.
It took a second, it appeared she was winding herself up for something, then she asked, “Why are you looking after him?”
“He’s my friend.”
“You’re in love with him.”
Mm-hmm.
I’d outed myself on that too.
I did my shrug thing again.
It again didn’t land.
“You’re hurting yourself doing this.”
Now it was me winding myself up for something, then I admitted, “I can’t seem to stop myself.”
She shook her head like I was beyond hope.
Okeydokey.
Sister chat over, and it didn’t go too badly.
Time to move on.
