Page 61 of Aperture

I clear my throat and start to get up, needing a moment to gather my thoughts. Theo runs his hand down my back.

“Is everything OK?” he asks in a concerned tone.

“Everything is fine,” I lie, still turned away from him.

“I’m just going to grab a glass of water and get cleaned up.”

“Um, OK,” he says. I get the sense that he doesn’t believe me, but it’s better than him seeing me cry thirty seconds after we finished having sex.

How have I made such a mess of things?

Chapter 31

The next morning after Theo leaves, I call Gwen and we decide to go for a walk on the beach.

When Milo and I arrive, she’s standing by the water, looking out over the gray ocean. It’s foggy and wet outside. The smell of the ocean, the crashing of the waves, and the squawking of the seagulls awaken my senses. I’ve been in a haze since last night. I laid there, awake most of the night, trying to make sense of my feelings.

In the end, I fell asleep feeling just as confused as ever.

“Hey!” I yell as we approach.

“Hi, Sweetie,” she says softly, kneeling down to pet Milo. She kisses him and stands back up, looking pensive and contrite.

“Before we start our walk, I need to apologize about last night,” she starts.

“You don’t need to apologize. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Well, I still feel bad about it. Granted, I haven’t known Johnny for long, but I hadn’t seen that side of him. I honestly don’t know what happened.”

“What do you mean?” I ask as we start slowly walking down the beach.

“He wanted to meet you guys. He was excited about it, even, and he was in a great mood up until the moment you reached the table. Then, it’s like he just couldn’t help himself. He turned into a giant douchebag.”

“That would be an accurate assessment, yes,” I joke. “You know me, I try to see the good in everyone. But the only good thing about that guy was when he was gone.”

I look over at my best friend, who is biting her lip and shaking her head. I decide not to say anything about recognizing Johnny. There’s no need at this point.

“I’m sorry, Gwennie. Did you really like him?”

“Oh shit, no. I mean, the sex was good, but he never struck me as my forever guy or anything. I’m more embarrassed than anything else.” Gwen looks down at the sand she is toeing with her Ugg boot.

“Don’t be. It takes a long time to get to know someone,” my voice comes out sounding wistful. I think about what Wyatt said about never really knowing Theo.

“So you slept with him, huh?” I try to keep the squeamishness I feel out of my tone.

“Yes, and it was good. I figured, if nothing else, we could have some fun. That was before he turned into Captain Dickbag at dinner.”

I start giggling at first, but then it turns into a full belly laugh and I have to stop walking because of it.

Gwen starts laughing at how hard I’m laughing and then we’re both doubled over in hysterics and it feels so good. The last 24 hours have been so intense.

“So, what happened after you left the restaurant?” I ask when we’ve both settled down again.

“Well, I took his drunk ass home and told him not to call me again,” she says.

“Good. That guy wasn’t even close to being worthy of you.”

“I know,” she agrees.