Page 14 of Reaching Gavin

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” I huffed as I dug through a pile of skirts, looking for something professional that wasn’t too dressy for tomorrow. “Luka is a first class jerk and I know it. So what if he was nice to me today? That doesn’t mean I have to go on a date with him. He banged half the girls in our graduating class while we were dating.”

“Did he actually say date? Like did he say ‘can we go out on a date?’” Jillian yawned, her eyes bleary from the sleep I’d obviously woken her from.

“No. He said we would just go out as friends to catch up, but we all know what that means.”

Jillian blinked a few times before shaking her head in confusion. “What if he just wants to catch up?”

Clearly, she was going soft in her new committed relationship, especially if she couldn’t remember what “catch up” meant in ex-boyfriend speak. “Catching up is a clear sexual invitation.”

And I had RSVPed.

“How is that a sexual invitation?”

“Everyone knows that when a guy asks you out and you’ve already slept with him, even if he says it’s to catch up, he’s really saying that he wants to sleep with you.” I couldn’t believe I was actually explaining this to her.

“I must have missed that Cosmo article,” she said dryly. At least her sarcasm was awake.

In all fairness, Jillian hadn’t been one for serious relationships before she had met Liam. I could spot his head of messy, blond hair on the pillow next to her. A soft snoring came from the other side of the bed. It was just like a man to sleep through anything, even a best friend ranting from the other side of the world. “You’re making me feel crazy.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do.” Jillian shook her head defiantly, as though I had threatened to take away her best friend card. “I’m just tired.”

“And I’m the bitch who woke you up in the middle of the night.” I really had lost my mind. Why on earth had I thought this couldn’t wait until morning? Then I remembered that when it was morning in Scotland, I would be asleep in Seattle.

“It’s no big deal,” she said with a shrug. “Being so far away is hard for all of us. I’m always here for you though, even when we’re not in the same country.”

“Or even the same continent,” I grumbled. “When are you coming home again?” I put on my best puppy dog eyes. If I had to lure my best friends back through shameless, guilt trips I would.

“I don’t know yet.” Jillian’s eyes darted off-camera, and I couldn’t help but think she was dodging the question. Now wasn’t the time to call her on that, not when I’d jostled her from a deep sleep next to a hot, Scottish man.

“What do I do? Do I ignore him? He’s already texted me, and he put his number in my phone, so I can’t pretend it’s the wrong number.”

Jillian perked up, obviously interested in this info. “He already texted?”

“Yeah. Don’t look so happy about it. Whose side are you on anyway?” I was not above reminding her of best friend proclamation number one: chicks before dicks.

“Here’s the thing,” Jillian began, “you said yourself, you’ve both changed. How do you know Luka hasn’t change for the better?”

“ Because he’s still breathing. Look, I’ve kissed a lot of frogs and none of them have turned out to be princes,” I reminded her.

“I’m just saying, you wouldn’t want him to treat you like you were still the same person. Maybe you need to give him a second chance. What do you have to lose?”

The things I had to lose were far too long to list during a single phone call. Right on top were my dignity and my self-respect. I kept that thought to myself. “What do I have to gain?”

“Maybe you’ll learn something,” Jillian suggested.

It was is if a lightbulb had gone off over her head. She was absolutely right. There was something I could get out of this. I could learn something from Luka. “Jillian, you’re a genius!”

“Tell me something I don’t know. But really why am I a genius?” she tacked on, her confusion not diminishing her sly grin.

Liam shifted in his sleep, rolling over to showcase his bare chest. I did my best to not stare at him. It felt a little weird ogling Jillian’s boyfriend, but it couldn’t be helped. It was more like going to a museum. I could admire a painting in all its glory and still respect that it belonged to someone else. Tearing my eyes away from him, I focused on her. “This date doesn’t have to be a total loss. Maybe I can find out from Luka exactly why he cheated on me.”

“Because he’s a first-class jerk?” she guessed. “You said that yourself.”

I’d been telling her that since we got on the phone. Of course, now she would get with the program. “No, there had to have been a reason that he cheated. We were pretty hot and heavy. He was totally getting everything he could possibly want. Why would he go hook up with another girl?”

“Because he’s a first-class jerk. But I repeat myself.”

“I’m not disagreeing with you, but think of it this way, it’s like a progress report at work. Every once in a while you need to review how far you’ve come. Going out with Luka will give me that chance.”