Text from Mom – I packed my bag and I’m getting ready to leave. Not sure about this, but I want to see you. I’ll be at the hotel waiting when you get there.
Oh, crap! A text from Adam. I thought, okay, maybe hoped he’d given up on me. I can’t hide it. No secrets. “You didn’t call Sam!” I tell Rick and hand him his phone.
Text to Mom - See you soon, Mom! You’ll see everything is perfect. Love you!
Text to Adam - Sorry, I’m back with my boyfriend. He’s the only one for me.
I debate with myself, remembering what my Mom taught me about keeping things to myself that just hurt people. When another text pops through.
Text from Adam - I’d never hurt you like he did. Give me a chance, my Angel.
Text to Adam - Goodbye.
I immediately block Adam, so the messages don’t continue and he doesn’t decide to call. It would be bad and escalate quickly.
The spam meter on my email is going crazy this morning, so I take a minute to go through and delete the junk mail.
I turn to Rick, take his phone and dial Sam because he hasn’t managed to do it yet. She answers, “It’s about time baby brother!”
“Hi, Sam,” I say with a giggle. “I told him to call and I handed him his phone and he still didn’t do it. So, you’ve got me instead. I can hand him the phone if you want.”
Rick closes his eyes and shakes his head, “Why did I introduce you two?”
“I can hear him in the background and that verifies he’s alive. I did watch the game last night and I could see he’s back in playing form. That’s good enough. But, I’d like to know what’s going on there,” Sam says still worried.
I’m not the one who should tell her he moved in with me. I mouth a question at him silently, “Are you going to tell her you moved in with me?”
“You tell her,” he says out load where Sam could hear him.
“I’ve been directed to tell you that your bro moved in with me and we’re together and I love him. And, if I’m the one who’s going to talk to you then I’m waiting until he isn’t here watching and listening to me do it.” Rick takes his phone from me.
“Hey Sam,” Rick says apparently not approving of the direction I was taking the call. “I’m meeting her Mom today and it’s a busy day. I’m good, actually I’m better than good. I’ll call you soon,” and he hangs up wanting to use the time we have left this morning in a specific way. But, I stop him because I need to tell him about Adam.
Here I am needing to tell him something I thought wasn’t going to matter. Maybe I should’ve told him about Adam before he moved in or when we were telling secrets. I don’t know. But, I need to tell him before he finds out on his own. I didn’t think it mattered. I’m not ever going to see the guy again. Honestly, I thought he was gone. He hasn’t texted me in days and he has a busy schedule. Hot as he is, why would he waste time with a girl who’s hung up on another man?
“Um, I need to talk to you about something.”
Rick stops and stares at me, unsure of my tone. “Okay. What kind of something?” He already doesn’t like the conversation.
“It’s not bad, just filling you in on details you missed while we were apart.” Realizing this is almost the worst possible timing, but it can’t wait.
“Sherry, I don’t think I like where this is going.”
“I’m sure you won’t, but listen to me for a minute. I met a guy when I was drunk in a bar in LA. I didn’t have sex with him or anything. We had dinner at a cafe. We danced together at the bar and he kissed me, but I left. I didn’t give him my number and he doesn’t even know my name. I was extremely upset at the time, honestly hating men.”
“Yea. Keep going.” Rick is not happy and trying to stay calm.
“He got my number from Joey when he saw him at the bar the next night and started texting me, calling me daily while I was on my road trip. He kept telling me he wanted to spend time with me and I kept telling him I wasn’t interested, that I was still getting over my boyfriend. I know you don’t want to hear that, and I found I couldn’t get over you. He was in San Francisco when I was driving through there and met me for dinner. He told me it wasn’t a date, but it was like a date. We didn’t kiss or anything. It was only dinner and I kept going on my trip.” I stop trying to read his reaction.
“Is there more?”
“He drove up the coast and met me at my hotel one morning. He took me to breakfast and explored a beach area with me one day. He asked for more. He asked me to spend the weekend with him at his place in San Francisco. He kissed me. I turned him down and he dropped me off at my hotel. That’s it other than a couple calls and texts while I was driving home. I told him somebody else has my heart.”
“But? Why are you telling me this now?”
“He texted me this morning and he’s in San Diego for work and asked me out. I told him I’m with my boyfriend and I blocked him. I can show you the texts. I’m not interested in him at all. I thought I needed to get over you. I thought you were with Ava. He was a distraction.” I pull up the texts on my phone and show Rick before he can say he wants to see it or not. I don’t want
