Page 48 of Already Falling

“Sheela was an absolute delight compared to what happened.”

“Okay, spit it out already. What happened?”

I tell Tyler about the events that played out today. It feels so far away, as if it happened months ago rather than two hours. I leave out the full details about the appointments at the beginning because I know he’ll want a rundown on the client’s status which we can get into on Monday. He stops me halfway through to let Scooter out to the backyard. I finally get to the part about walking into the massage, and the moment I realized it was my ex, my childhood crush. Tyler doesn’t know every detail of my past, but one night we had a bit too many beers sitting on his porch, and I was reminiscing. He calls her “the one that got away.”

“So, what did you do afterward?”

“I left through the back and drove straight here.” I sink back into the couch. Hoping the cushions will suck me into the depths of the fluff, and I will just be stuck enough to never leave.

“Well, you better get your ass off this couch and go try again.” I sit up at his response.

“What do you mean try again?”

“How many times in life does a person leave and reappear in your life? Especially a person with which you clearly have a connection. Not that often? I think you should take advantage of this serendipitous opportunity.”

“I knew we should’ve watched the newest Avengers movie, not Love, Simon, last weekend.”

“Hey, it was a great movie, and that’s beside the point. I’m just telling you what I would do if I were in this situation.”

“It’s not like I don’t want to. You didn’t experience what I did. I’m still so embarrassed by the situation. We had big crushes on each other as kids, and then I blew it in college. And then I blew it again when we matched on that dating app.”

“Wait, what dating app?”

“Oh, did I forget to mention? Two years after she dumped me, we matched on that app, Flame. I basically said to get lost.”

“You are an idiot. She matched with you, and you turned her down?”

I shrug. “I know, I’m an idiot. I guess I was still bitter about the whole situation.”

“Clearly.” Tyler gets up to let Scooter back in. The pup flies in, zooming around the couch before launching himself onto my lap.

“I still think you should try again if you still want to,” he says, sitting back on the couch. Scooter abandons me to get pets from his owner.

I shake my head. “I’m just hesitant about it. It isn’t that long since Carrie and I broke up.”

Tyler rolls his eyes at the mention of my ex’s name. “Maybe take it slow? If you run into her again, try to just be friends.”

“Honestly, a part of me wishes that’s the last time I’ll see her. But I doubt that’s the case. What are the odds she’s visiting and coming in for a massage at the place I work?”

“I mean, she could just be passing through. Do you still have her number?”

“There is no way I’m texting her. Are you crazy? I basically ran out of the room when I realized it was her.”

Tyler knocks his head back, laughing. “Boy, I wish I was there to witness. See, this is why I don’t like missing work!”

“Yeah, I’m never covering for you again.”

Scooter jumps off the couch again, barking toward the door to be let out. “You need to put in a little doggie door for this guy.”

“He’s obsessed with the chickens. He thinks he’s herding sheep or something.”

We transition from our recap of the day into a regular weekend of eating carne asada tacos on the back patio while Scooter barks at the chickens who roam the yard freely.

I suppose I could use another friend in this town, even if it’s possibly the girl who stole my heart.

TWENTY-EIGHT

ANNIKA