“You don’t have to slap him,” Haley says. “I… already did.”
Our jaws drop.
Trix glows. “You did?”
Haley nods. “Not that I’m proud of it…”
“I am! My girl slapped her first frat boy, guys!”
Nora and I straighten up and give her a small round of applause.
Haley blushes. “I shouldn’t feel guilty?” she asks.
“That depends.” Trix rests her elbow on the bed to prop her head up. “What did he do?”
Haley hesitates. “Well, I told him I wanted to take it slow.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course.”
Nora shakes her head, disappointed. “Why do guys still take that to mean the complete opposite thing?”
Trix pouts a lip. “He got too handsy, huh?” she asks.
“We were going to a movie with a group of friends,” Haley answers. “He told the others to go into the theater. We stayed in the car and…” Her voice trails off for a second. “He made me feel uncomfortable, so I got out of the car and called an Uber to get home.”
Trix takes her hand. “I’m proud of you, honey. You stood up for yourself.”
“Yeah,” I say. “You’re a total badass, Hal.”
“Don’t feel guilty,” Nora adds. “You set boundaries, and he crossed them. That’s never okay. Ever.”
Haley grabs her phone off her pillow. “He keeps texting me that he’s sorry.” She swipes it on. “I don’t know what to do. I mean, do I believe him? I still really like him, I just…”
“But do you still trust him?” Trix asks.
My stomach clenches.
“Does it matter?” Haley asks.
“Of course it matters.” Trix chuckles. “Hal, no one’s perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, some more forgivable than others. Part of being an adult in a relationship is figuring out what you’re willing to put up with. I mean, jeez, just look at me and your dad.”
Haley smiles. “I guess that’s true.”
“Oh, so true,” Nora says. “What Clive did to me was crazy messed up. I didn’t think I’d ever forgive him, but after a good bit of groveling and communication, we’re making it work.”
I look down, swallowing hard.
“People can change. They can learn and grow,” Trix says. “If you think this guy is capable of that, then it might be worth forgiving him and moving forward — unless he does it again, then you block him like that.” She snaps her finger. “Ain’t got no chill for repeat offenders.”
Nora fakes a sneeze. “Marcus,” she says, sniffing to obscure it.
“Marcus?” Haley asks, raising a curious brow.
Trix glares at Nora. “I don’t really see how he’s relevant right now.”
“You’re right,” Nora says, smirking. “My mistake.”
Haley glances between them, filing that information away for a later time. “So, you think I should give him a chance?” she asks.
Trix shrugs a shoulder. “That’s up to you, honey, but if you do, definitely make him grovel.”
Nora nods. “It’s the best part.”
They chuckle, and Nora nudges my ribs.
“Anything you’d like to add?” she asks me. “You’re kind of the queen of this.”
“Um…” I pause, my thoughts muddled. “I don’t know. Forgiveness isn’t easy. It’s never easy. The deeper you’re in it, the harder it is because there’s so much pain and baggage. You try to remember how good things can be, but the bad things are always there to remind you what happens when you forget for too long. People don’t change. Or maybe they can. Maybe they can completely turn around and become exactly what you wanted them to be, but the baggage is still there, weighing you down until you just can’t stand being so angry anymore. You can either hold on to it and leave, or drop it and stay and see if the good can ever outweigh the bad. There’s no wrong answer, but there sure as shit isn’t a right one, either. So… yeah. I guess you can say I’m the queen of this.”
“I meant because you write romance novels,” Nora says slowly. “Don’t they typically end with the hero groveling on his knees, confessing his undying love?”
“Oh.” I nod. “Right. Groveling. It’s nice, yeah.”
They all stare at me for a moment longer before Trix exhales and pats Haley on the knee again.
“Anyway…” she says. “We’ve got pizza and drinks. Why don’t you get cleaned up and join us downstairs?”
“Yeah, come on down,” Nora says. “We’re happy to have you.”
Haley nods. “Okay.”
The three of us stand up. As we walk out into the hallway, we notice Lance lingering just a few feet away from the door, listening in on the entire conversation.
Trix closes the door behind us. Nora and I link arms and take a few wide steps down the hall as Trix stays with him.
“Is she okay?” Lance whispers.
“Oh, yeah,” Trix answers. “She’s fine. Just growing up a little.”
He nods. “Right…”
“Are you okay?” She chuckles. “You don’t look so hot.”
“I’m feeling a little out of my element,” he says, staring at Haley’s door. “I would have locked her up and thrown away the key a long time ago.”
“Well, that’d just make it worse.”
“Yeah, I know.” Lance sighs as he slowly wraps his arms around Trix’s waist. “I’m glad you’re here, you know that, right?”
Trix smiles. “Yeah, I know.”
They kiss once, embracing each other as Nora and I disappear downstairs.
We return to our spots on the couch.
“What about you?” Nora asks me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say. “Why?”
She cants her head, staying quiet, but she doesn’t need to answer. I know why she’s asking. It’s the same old boring story. Melanie and Robbie. Robbie and Melanie. I’d say it’s will-they-won’t-they, but that’s never been true. They will. They always will.
They’ll always find each other again. They’ll always make space for just a little more baggage. Just a little more pain and anger unless we finally drop it.
Dammit, Melanie. Be honest. For once.
Unless I drop it.
Thirty-One
Melanie
I rush up the stairs to the fourth floor. I don’t even pause as I make my way
