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He’s still talking as I end the call.
I don’t even set the phone down in my lap before it’s buzzing again.
Avery.
He’s been calling every day since I left Faraday, but I haven’t had the energy to face what could be waiting for me on that line. I let out a sigh and hit accept.
If I blow him off much longer, the guy is going to show up on my doorstep, and I’m not sure that would be better.
“Hey,” I say, and prepare for the worst.
“Hey,” Avery replies. “I talked to Ainsley.”
At least he’s not going to drag this out.
“Oh?”
“You should have told us.”
I can’t imagine saying the words aloud even now that he knows, so I’m not sure how I would have pulled that off. I huff a laugh in response.
“Seriously, man. We would have been there for you. It sounds like that was a rough day. I wish I’d known. I know the guys feel the same.”
He told them.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, waiting for the shame to overtake me. It ebbs, but it’s not the rib cage crushing wave I experienced back on the island. Maybe the distance is helping.
“Yeah, well.”
“Talk to me, Ben. Or I’m coming up there.”
I smile to myself at Avery being so predictable. “There’s not all that much to say. I got taken by a pretty woman. I’m still working it all out.”
“What’s there to work out?” He sounds confused and I guess I would be as well. The most likely thing for me to do in this situation is move on and never speak about it—or to her—again.
But it’s not that simple.
“She’s here. She and Ains worked out some kind of plan where he helped her get moved to the city so she could try to get me back.”
Avery laughs on the other end of the line. “Really, now? He told me he was just headed back to start at Columbia.”
“He did that, too.”
“Okay, so the girl?—”
“She’s a woman, Ave. An adult woman.”
“Right, my bad. So this woman packs up her life here on Faraday and moves to the city to get you back. Is she succeeding?”
Is she? For a moment at that cafe, I thought for sure I’d let her win. But now, trying to explain this all to my friend? I’m just not sure. “What if she did?”
“That would be great, Ben. We’d all be very happy for you.”
I scoff. “Happy for me and my son’s ex-girlfriend.”
Avery’s having none of it. “If you’re going to stay on this pity train, you’re not going to get anywhere and you know it. I talked to Ains, it sounds like they were really more like friends. And we all need friends in life, don’t we?”
I huff again, considering that the opposite might be true as my own best friend is giving me the third degree.
