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Ollie decides to go with him while I wait with Oakley in front of the restaurant. She and I watch as they walk away.
“You seem happy,” I comment, glancing over to see Oakley’s eyes still on Chase.
“We are,” she answers with a soft smile on her face.
I think this is the first time Oakley and I have been alone together since that night so long ago when I tried to rekindle a flame that had already burned out. I pause, wondering if I should say what is on the tip of my tongue. But in the end, I decide this is the perfect opportunity.
“I’m sorry about the way things went down with us in college … the way I ended things. And I didn’t realize how serious you and Chase were from the beginning.”
Oakley is watching me now. “We were kids when we were together, Sam. I don’t know that I really knew what I wanted when we met.”
“But you know now?” I ask.
She nods, a sweet and satisfied smile slowly spreading across her face. There’s no doubt that she wants Chase. I’m sure of this, even without her speaking the words. And he wants her.
“I’m glad.” I pull her to me and kiss the side of her head. She winds an arm around my waist and squeezes before we both let go. “I don’t know if I ever told you I was sorry about … everything. I just wanted you to know that I am.”
She grins again. “If you said it before, I wasn’t ready to hear it. But I can tell that you mean it. I appreciate it. And I accept your apology. But I don’t hold any of that against you now. I haven’t for a very long time. Things worked out as they should’ve.” She studies me for a few seconds. “You seem different.”
“Different good or different bad?”
“Definitely good,” she murmurs.
“I’m happier in Chicago. Things are better now.”
“Was it the team making you unhappy before?” she asks, tilting her head.
“It was a lot of things.” I lean back against the brick facade and cross my arms over my chest. “If your memory fails you, I haven’t made the best decisions the past few years.”
I’m sure she must’ve seen some of the headlines and gossip sites about my behavior. And she witnessed the partying and women back in college. Oakley’s just too gracious to throw it in my face.
She leans against the wall beside me and watches the cars driving by. “I’m not in the habit of keeping score, Sam.”
Oakley has always been forgiving. She’s never judged me. Not once. It remains one of her kindest qualities to this day.
“But if you feel your decisions were bad … are they getting better now?”
“I think so,” I say, my stare locked in the distance. “I hope so.”
“One day at a time, right?”
“Right,” I agree.
“You know … I really loved you back then, Sam,” she confesses.
Our eyes connect.
“I loved you too,” I admit. “I still do, just in a different way now.”
This conversation is long overdue. It feels good to clear the air.
“Same.” She smiles. “And even though we weren’t meant to be, we will always have some great memories together. Now, we can make more as friends. It took me a while to get to this point, but it feels good to be here now.”
“It does,” I murmur. “You’re a good person, Oakley. And you were a great girlfriend.”
“I know,” she says, and we both laugh. Her face grows serious again. “You know something I learned from you? Sometimes, the wrong choices get us to the right places.”
“Thanks,” I say wryly, “I think.”
