Page 24 of Five Stolen Rings
He shakes his head and turns his body toward me. “You said you weren’t obsessed with her, you idiot.”
“It was like I blacked out,” I say, slumping lower on mystool. A new song comes on, louder than the last, so I raise my voice. “One second I was asking her about her architecture job, and the next thing I knew I was promising to help her house-sit. I don’t even know how it happened.” At least I had the sense to check how she would feel around alcohol, knowing that she’s in recovery.
“I’m sure it was your fault,” Benny says.
“Undoubtedly.”
He sighs and runs one hand through his hair, then tosses back the rest of his drink like it’s a cold beer instead of ginger ale with no ice. “And you don’t want to just…like her?”
“Absolutely not,” I say in a clipped voice, one that tells him I don’t want to explain further. To his credit, he rolls with it.
“Then you need a plan, man,” he says when he puts his empty glass back down. “Get it together. She’s just a woman.”
He’s right; she is just a woman, and I do need a plan.
I need a plan so that she canremainjust a woman.
“All right,” I say, straightening up and nodding. “Here it is: avoid her when I can, don’t look at her when I can’t. Minimal interaction.”
Benny nods too. “No checking her out,” he warns. “Because she’s still hot.”
“No, she isn’t,” I lie, mostly to convince myself it’s true. When Benny shoots me a skeptical look, I deflate. “I guess…maybe a little.” My words are reluctant, pulled from my mouth against my will.
And the music is too loud for me to hear Benny’s snort of laughter, but I see it, and I bristle.
“Cut it out,” I say. “It doesn’t matter.” My hand tightensaround my drink. “Nothing is going to happen. I don’t have feelings for her, and none will develop in the future, either.”
You want to smell her hair, you weirdo,a little voice in my mind whispers.You still remember the scent of the perfume she wore in high school. What do you call that?
Attraction. That’s what that is: pure attraction, residual only, and fading by the day.
“Fine,” Benny says with a shrug. “Then get your head on straight. She did a number on you back then. You wouldn’t even talk about her. Are you going to let her waltz back into your life and turn it upside down?”
“No,” I grit out.
“Are you a slave to her whims?”
“No,” I say again, louder now.
Benny points at me and nods. “You are a strong, independent man who doesn’t need a woman to complete him.”
“That’s right,” I say, thumping my hand on the bar.
“A lone wolf.”
“A lone wolf,” I repeat.
“Stella Partridge is nothing more than an irrelevant figure from your past,” Benny goes on.
“That’s r—” I begin vehemently, but I break off, frowning. “No. That’s not right. I mean—I wouldn’t call her irrelevant. I just don’t want to fall for her.”
Benny shrugs. “Sorry. Just trying to pump you up.”
I nod and clap him on the back. “You did good. I feel better.” I pause and then go on, “But you know you’re coming to this stupid get-together with me, right?”
“Fine,” Benny grunts. “ButI’mnot going to pretend to date you?—”
“Shut up,” I say, and he laughs.
