“I thought you didn’t regret it.” Zac glanced anywhere but at Macie.
“I don’t. And I’d be more than willing to prove that to you.”
“Mace—”
“But clearly you regret it. So you need to get this whole mythical girlfriend out of your head so you can see what’s standing right in front of you.”
He couldn’t avoid her after that declaration. His head swiveled toward her, his eyes wide enough to be cartoonish. “What?”
“Did you ever think the person on the other end could be a guy? Or a lunatic? Or an axe murderer?” The woman standing in front you? You’re arch rival? The person you just had a fantastic one-night stand with? She really wanted to tell him.
“She’s not.”
“Then why haven’t you met?”
He didn’t answer, so Macie played the game out for him. It bothered her that he didn’t own up to it, and that she’d played him. She couldn’t think about that now.
“Wait, you tried to meet and she stood you up?”
He nodded once.
“Zac, let her go.” She softened her voice, letting the emotion she’d held back flood through. She stood and walked to him, resting her hand on his chest. His heart beat against her palm. “Let her go and come to me. We’re good together. We challenge each other. Life will never be boring. Let this happen.”
He put his hand over Macie’s. “If only I could. But I have to see this through, Macie. And I don’t regret what happened last night. Just the timing.”
Macie raised onto her toes and kissed him softly. “Our timing has always sucked. Since day one.”
Zac smiled. “I should go.”
Macie nodded, settling back onto her heels. She stepped away from him again. Zac opened the door. Her emotions waged inside her. She was hurt and elated at the same time. He loved her. But only the her online. He wouldn’t let himself love the real life Macie because of the digital Macie. She was fighting a losing battle with herself. It was a weird sensation. If she hadn’t suspected that Zac was talking about the digital version of herself, Macie probably would’ve kicked him in the nuts for trying to sneak out on her.
There was only one solution. It was time to let him know the truth. She grabbed her tablet and opened the Blind Friends app.
I’ve been thinking. Life is always going to get in the way, but we have to take control. I’m ready to take control. Meet me at Shaw’s Park in the big gazebo at 8pm tonight. If you’d still like to meet that is. Bring cracked dorn to feed the ducks so I’ll know it’s you.
She pressed send and waited. Within a minute, Zac responded, I’ll be there.
ZAC PACED HIS APARTMENT. All he could think about was Macie. Her soft body, her perky nipples, her perfect mouth. Just the thought of her sent him into overdrive. When the message came in, it was as if his mystery girl knew what he’d done and wanted to call him out on it in person. The worst part was he didn’t feel guilty about sleeping with Macie. He felt guilty that he’d ran like a coward. And that he agreed to meet this mystery girl. And that he claimed to be in love with this mystery girl.
Was it a claim or truth? Zac wasn’t sure. Without meeting her, without seeing her in person to know if there was that spark of tension between them, he just didn’t know.
The day dragged like a stretching cat. He cleaned his already spotless place, did his laundry, took his tiny bag of trash out to the dumpster, and still had six hours to burn before he went to the park. Around noon his phone rang with Ford’s smiling mug on the screen. Zac ignored the call. The last thing he needed was the third degree from his best friend.
Then the text came in.
What happened last night? Ford added a winking emoji. Zac hated emojis.
He didn’t want to answer, but a pure lack of answering was itself an answer. So he lied. Nothing. Why? Before he hit send, another message came in.
I regret nothing. Macie’s text slapped him back to reality. He’d hurt her.
Me either. He responded. Except this morning. I regret the way I left this morning.
Don’t.
He didn’t know how to react to that. And Macie didn’t give him a chance to.
You should never regret saying how you feel or what’s on your mind.
What’s on your mind? He thumbed in, hitting send before he realized it was probably something he didn’t want to know the answer to.
You.
Zac froze. She’d surprised him more and more every day. If he’d known this version of Macie the last few years, things might have been very different.
I have to go. She texted. Working a half day. Talk to you later.
Ok. He was such a jerk.
Another text came in from Ford. Bro? Come on. Lauren and I are dying here and Macie’s not answering. Did you guys hook up last night?
If Macie wasn’t telling Lauren, Zac wasn’t going to tell Ford. They’d have to just not be in the know. Zac picked up his laptop and opened the business plan he’d started. Helping Macie start her own company had given him an idea on his future. He didn’t want to just help people prepare financially for old age. He wanted to help people make things happen in the present, to help them follow their dreams. Zac’s plan was in the early stages and there was a lot he needed to figure out before jumping in feet first, but it was solid. He just needed a backer. Fortunately, he knew a man with deep pockets who would do anything for him.
Everything was in the details. Like Macie’s online business, this would have to start off as a part-time endeavor. Digging into the details distracted him enough to pass the time. It was almost six when he stopped. There was still two
