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Spencer
I pull my phone out, checking for new messages for the hundredth time. Still nothing. I tried to call to warn Lori last night about everything that happened with Cat. When she didn’t answer, I left her a message. It wasn’t all that surprising that I didn’t hear back from her, but the waiting and not knowing is killing me, so I send her another.
Me: Will you please call me? I think we should talk.
That torturous ellipsis pops up, indicating she has at least read my text. They disappear, and I wait on bated breath for her response, but nothing comes. She’s definitely ignoring me. This is not a good sign.
I’ve considered reaching out to Cat, but she was so upset and angry when she left last night, I figure it’s best to give her some time. Though I hadn’t outright admitted my feelings for Lori, I didn’t deny them either. Cat has every right to be furious with me. Perhaps I should feel the same fury toward her, knowing that she’d cheated on me with Lawrence, but I only see it as another sign that the two of us were never meant to be.
My relationship with Cat was so easy and perfect. I wanted to believe that meant she was the one. In reality, it was merely proof that our relationship lacked passion. And I’ve finally realized my grandmother has been right all these years—you can’t have love without passion.
“Haven’t you ever heard the saying a watched pot never boils?” I look across the table at my grandmother who has a lopsided grin on her face. “You haven’t stopped looking at your phone since you got here. Give it a rest, boy.”
“Sorry, Gram,” I say, placing the phone face down on the table next to my plate.
“You’ve made quite the mess for yourself, haven’t you?”
I sit back in my chair with a moan, pushing my untouched plate of food away from me. “How do I fix this?”
“Well, I can tell you one thing, you won’t make any headway with Lori unless you can patch things up with Cat. That Lori is a strong-willed girl and loyal to a fault. Even with Cat’s blessing you’ll have a tough road ahead of you, but without it, you can forget it.”
I run my hands through my hair. “This is so screwed up. How did I end up here?”
“You’ve always been misguided when it comes to the matters of the heart, my dear boy. You tend to listen to your head instead of your heart. The head wants to believe there’s a right and wrong kind of love, it wants to make sense of it all, but the heart knows better. It simply follows the direction of the tug on its strings.”
“Well, I’m trying to follow my heart now, and where has it gotten me? Lori won’t speak to me, and I think Cat hates both of us.”
“Cat will come around. She’s likely dealing with some shame herself. Give it some time.”
My phone vibrates, and I give my grandmother a pleading look. She shakes her head and gestures for me to go ahead. “Go on, it’s going to keep you distracted either way.”
My pulse quickens when I lift the phone and see Lori’s name, my stomach dropping as I read the words next to it.
Lori: No, there’s nothing to talk about.
* * *
Two hours later, I’m back home staring at Cat’s number on my phone. My finger hovers over the call button, just as it’s been for the past thirty minutes. My grandmother is right, making things better with Cat is the only chance I have of moving forward with Lori.
I take a deep breath, inhaling the night air as my thumb connects with the screen. It rings as I stare up at the moon. Once, twice, three times. Right about now she’s probably debating on hitting ignore or answering my call. Praying that she answers, I begin to pace on my back patio, Elvis following at my side. It rings a fourth time, and my eyes close as I let out a sigh, certain she’s not going to answer. But in the middle of the fifth ring, she answers.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Cat. Can we talk?”
She’s quiet for several seconds, her heavy breathing the only indicator that she’s still on the line, and I allow her that time—to think and gather her thoughts.
“I’m not sure I’m ready,” she finally replies, her voice nothing more than a whisper.
“That’s all right, I understand. Would you be willing to hear me out—to just listen while I talk?”
She lets out a long breath. “Okay.”
“First, I want to say how sorry I am for the way things went down the other night. I spent all this time thinking about everything. It didn’t occur to me that your head was in a completely different place or that my actions would come as such a shock to you.” I pause, waiting to see if she’ll say anything in response, but the line stays quiet, so I continue.
“Also, I think it’s important for you to know that Lori and I haven’t slept together.”
She gasps. “What? But you said…I thought…”
