Chapter 17
The guilt I’d always shoved aside bubbling to the surface in full force now. Whenever I looked at Lia all I thought about was everything I had done to her. A simple apology wasn’t going to help. She would continue to feel this bitterness whenever she looked at us, not that I blamed her.
How were the other guys able to push past this so easily whereas I was the one who kept dwelling on it, unable to move on? Rain was using his humor to deal while Jesse came off as someone who was never bothered with anything. Colby was thinking critically about it while I was in denial.
Well, I wasn’t in denial anymore. I was in denial for a long time but now I accepted that the two of us were mates. The part I was having trouble with was accepting a way to move forward and make it all work for us.
“So, Colby and I were talking before the two of you came out here,” Jesse started to say. “Both of us seem to think that a wonderful way to go about it is for us to spend some quality time together with Lia. We’ll do a group thing after because she might be intimidated by all of us spending time together with her
at once.”
Colby nodded. “Yeah, one-on-one outings will be the best way to go first.”
“Who’s going first?” I asked cautiously.
Colby and Jesse turned right towards me, a rare smile breaking onto Jesse’s face.
“You’re going first, Matt. Since you’re determined to keep avoiding Lia we think it will be best that you face the situation and spend some quality time with her first.”
My face fell. “No.”
“What do you mean no?” Rain gasped. “Dude, you can’t just say no.”
“Yes I can and I just did. I’m not going to be the first one to go ahead and spend time with her,” I muttered. “I have no problem spending time with her at
all. But I won’t be the first. Let me be the second.”
Colby sighed. “Then you’ll probably back out or make some excuse. Why can’t you just accept that you have the most awkward relationship with her out of everyone?”
“I do accept it, Colby but it still doesn’t mean that I am going to be the one who is willing to take the first plunge. Rain can do it.”
“I mean, okay if that’s what you want-”
“Rain,” Jesse warned, narrowing his eyes. “No.”
Rain sighed, giving me a sympathetic look. “Sorry about that Matt, but Jesse scares me more than a little bit so I’m going to just back off. I’ll gladly be the second person or something.”
“Jesse, Rain might be afraid of you but I’m not,” I muttered.
He smiled, “True, but we can always talk about this with Lia and say that you are waffling on spending one-on-one time with her. Can you imagine how hurt she would be if that happened?”
“This is blackmail.”
Colby stifled a laugh. “Matt, I think that’s the point.”
They were putting me in a tricky situation. If I refused to go then they were going to talk to Lia, which would make things even more awkward for the two of us. But if I went on this outing with her it was going to cause me extreme distress and massive levels of awkwardness.
“I hate all of you.”
1/2
Rain sniffed. “Matt, my man, I know you’re just saying that because you’re hurt. Trust that all of us, even Jesse, love you. We only want what is best for you.”
“Still hate all of you.”
“Matt, you’re going to make Rain cry,” Colby hissed, gesturing to their friend who was tearing up.”
I sighed. “Rain I don’t hate any of you. I’m just angry.”
“So, you’ll do it?” Rain asked.
If I said no then I was going to disappoint one of my best friends and Lia. Or rather not disappoint her but make things more awkward.
“Fine. I’ll do it but know that I am going to hate all of you for the next few hours.”
Jesse smiled, the smile even reaching his eyes. “Good. Colby made reservations for dinner and then the two of you can see a movie.”
These assholes. They were planning the whole thing and knew I was going to back down in the end!
I never stood a chance.
