Page 66 of Say Yes to the Hot Mess
He really has. “You know,” I say, sitting up once more. “Speaking of dreamy men. I met Dex’s brother. Jude.”
“Oh?” Scarlett says after a second, her voice strangled. She clears her throat. “And how is—I mean, how was that?”
“It was good,” I say, my eyes narrowing. “He’s so handsome and charming—”
“Ugh,” she says, and unlike last time she said it, this time it’s just plain old annoyed. I can practically hear her rolling her eyes as she says, “Don’t tell him that, please. You’ll inflate his stupid big head—”
“Ha!” I say triumphantly. “I knew it. I knew it, Scar!” I hesitate, because it’s clearly not her favorite thing to talk about. “I have so many questions.Somany.”
She sighs. “Ask.”
“Are you sure?” I say.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I would have told you soon anyway, with us talking about his family and the wedding and everything.”
“So you guys were engaged?” I say, my voice tentative.
“We were, yeah.” Her words are heavy, and I feel a twist of regret. It only intensifies when I hear the sadness as she says, “High school sweethearts. Engaged at seventeen, planned on getting married at eighteen.”
“Scarlett, you don’t have to tell me,” I say, scooting backward so I can lean against the seashell-shaped headboard of the bed. “We don’t have to—”
“No, it’s okay,” she says. She must know me well enough to know I’m going to protest, because she goes on, “It really is, Maya. I promise.”
“Okay,” I say. “So…what happened?”
“He left,” she says, and I picture her shrugging. “I didn’t—my family didn’t have a lot of money,” she goes on, and I wish I could tell her there’s no need for the embarrassment I hear in her voice. “And my grades weren’t horrible, but they weren’t good enough for a scholarship that paid what I needed. So I didn’t go to college. I was going to move with Jude, though. We were going to get married. There was a ring on my finger and everything.”
“What happened to the ring?” I say, more curious than anything.
“He told me to keep it,” she says. “Sell it and get some money for it.”
Something tells me she never did, but I don’t voice my suspicion.
“Anyway, that summer after we graduated, he told me he thought we were too young,” she goes on. “That we didn’t really know what we wanted out of life enough to make a decision like that. That was five years ago.”
“Do you think he was telling the truth? I mean, do you think that was the real reason he broke things off? Like, do you think he found someone else or…you know, that kind of thing?” I say, wincing. I could have phrased that better, especially considering how she clearly isn’t over this.
“I think he got scared, and he ran,” she says, her voice flat. “But no—Jude would never have cheated on me. He’s charming, like you said, and handsome, and he knows it. He’s naturally friendly and outgoing. But not even once did anyone go home with him except for me.”
I swallow. “You’re still in love with him.” It’s not a question.
“I am,” she says quietly. “Unfortunately, I know Jude better than anyone in the world. Or I did, anyway. And he’s a really, really good man. It’s unrealistic to expect eighteen-year-oldsnotto be scared about their futures. I was sure enough of him to move forward, but I don’t blame him for not being ready. Not anymore.” She sighs. “I was angry at the time, and hurt. And sometimes I’m still angry and hurt even though I don’t fault him for what happened. But mostly I just feel sad for two kids who fell in love and weren’t able to figure out how to make it work.”
And I think it might be the saddest story I’ve ever heard.
“Dex thinks Jude is still in love with you,” I say quietly. She doesn’t answer, and I know it’s time to end the conversation. “Well, I just wanted to update you on how things were going,” I say.
“And I love you for that. Oh, and speaking of updates—I’m looking at an apartment tomorrow. I don’t have high hopes, to be honest, but I’ll send pictures and let you know how it went.”
“Sounds good,” I say with a nod. Thinking about moving still hurts a little, so I’m doubly grateful that Scarlett was willing to take the reins on this one.
“Okay, I’ll let you go. But you better tell me the second something good happens. If lips touch, I want to know,” she says.
I smile, though it’s still a little sad after our conversation about her and Jude. “You’ll be the first,” I promise.
We hang up, and then it’s time to get ready for the wedding.
I slip on one of the silky robes that was hanging in the bedroom yesterday when we arrived, moving in a sort of half-daze, my mind turning over everything Scarlett and I talked about. Dex knocks on the door and tells me he needs to shower, so I grab my dress from the closet and then let him into the bedroom so he can access the bathroom. Then, with my makeup bag in tow, I move to the mirror hanging on the living room wall.
