A few days later, Ty texted me.
Ty: Hi Z Did you get the invite?
Zoey: Y
Ty: U should B there
Zoey: I’ll try
Ty: Not good enough
Ty: U should be at the party
Zoey: I’ll try
Ty: I’d be sad if u weren’t there. At least we will be working together now, did U ever think U’d be my lawyer? LOL
Zoey: I’m not anymore, I’ve been reassigned to some other projects
Ty: WTF
My phone lit up, Ty was calling, “What the fuck, he can’t do that.”
“He can, and he did,” I sighed.
“Who am I going to work with?” Ty growled.
“Well, it’s his firm and you’ll be in good hands with anyone, Ty. I’m just a third-year associate,” I rationalized, even though I was still salty.
“You were the one who did all the work, Zoey,” Ty fumed. “I’m going to have a word with him, I want you back on the project.”
“Ty, you’re already a success, more than a success. But, remember, I’m not in the same place professionally. I’m still just starting out. I may not be happy about it, but I can’t afford to burn any bridges this early in my career. Please don’t say anything.” I wanted to make sure he didn’t do something that would interfere with all of my hard work and sacrifice over the years.
“Ah, bab—Zoey. Fine, I won’t do anything to get you in trouble, I promise. But I’m not happy about it. Not at all.” Ty didn’t sound convinced.
I paused a moment; did he almost call me “babe?” I decided to throw out a fishing line. “If it means anything, I am super bummed.”
“Z, of course it means something. I was looking forward to seeing you more often.” Ty’s voice remained even, like he had no choice but to hold back.
“I was looking forward to seeing you too. I’m so grateful that we are back in touch and that things between us seem to be okay.”
“Zoey, for many years I wasn’t okay, but I am now. I really am.” Ty sounded a bit defensive.
“I mean, of course you’re okay, I didn’t mean to imply that—”
Ty interrupted me. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Right, of course. Well, anyway, I just wanted to say that working on the foundation has been inspirational.” My voice was weirdly high-pitched, almost like a fangirl and not a woman who had once seen him naked. A lot.
“Thank you,” Ty said almost tentatively, maybe picking up on my weird vibe.
I took a deep breath and decided that I had to clear out some of my cobwebs if I had a snowball’s chance in hell of attending the event. “The truth is, I’m nervous to see you play live. Seeing you again has brought up a lot of memories from when we were together. I know I don’t have any right, but you are—well, you—I’m just so sorry how I handled things. I listened to Carter, and it nearly killed me and now that we are, well, okay again I think that maybe he was right with his advice. Because, well you might never have made it this far with me holding you back.”
Yep. Babbling, apparently, was my strong suit.
There was utter silence on Ty’s end.
“Are you there?” I asked meekly.
“Yeah.”
“I’m also not sure if I can face the guys after all of those songs.”
“Wow, um—” Ty stopped midsentence, paused and continued. “Z, I can admit that I was confused about seeing you again too. Seriously, don’t worry about the guys, they understand what happened. They got sick of me because I was a mess, but they never hated you. They still talk about the Dick’s burgers and pies you and Alex brought to the studio.”
“They do? Really?” I was genuinely surprised.
“Of course. Bottom line is, I’d like you to be there. Without you, I wouldn’t have realized a new dream.”
“That’s totally not true, um. But, what if your fans realize it’s me?” I couldn’t articulate my thoughts in a way that didn’t sound pissy.
“Oh. Oh. Right. I guess I’ve performed them so many times, I hadn’t even considered that you might be outed,” Ty murmured. “I never thought I’d have to face you singing those songs. Shit.”
“You hated me, and you deserved to hate me.” A tear suddenly escaped and rolled down my cheek.
“No, the opposite. I loved you. I fucking loved you, Zoey. You were my heart.” Ty’s voice choked up a bit. “You were my everything.”
“I loved you too. So much. I hope you know that. It’s also why I’m questioning whether it’s smart for me to be there. It feels like we are opening a can of worms. I mean, after you announce the foundation, we don’t have any reason to see each other.” I closed my eyes tight, squeezing tears out as I said the words, grateful that we were not having this conversation face-to-face.
Ty spoke gently and soothingly, “Zoey, of course we have a reason to see each other.”
“We do?” My breath caught.
“Yes. Look, I’m in the studio in LA until the day of the party but promise me you’ll be there. Bring Alex, she’s still friends with Jace so it will be fun. We will make it fun. Let’s stop taking all of this so damn seriously, for God’s sake, we were babies.”
“Okay, you’re right. If you want me there, I’ll be there. I’ll talk to Alex and see if she will go with me.” Ty wanted to still be in contact with me, and it scared me a bit that I hadn’t felt this happy in many years.
“Great, I’m sorry to cut this short but I’m late for a meeting and gotta jet. I’ll see you next week, okay?”
“Yes. See you next week, Ty.”
In the days leading up to
