“Well, a guilty conscience doesn’t need an accuser… as the old saying goes. Maybe it will cause him to be helpful now… make amends.”
I eyed Claudia. “Why do I get the feeling you know something?”
Claudia arranged her fingers into a tent and adopted a wise expression. “I have it on good, Zeke authority that Nate wants a chance to reconnect with you. I say, let him. You’re both adults now, and things are different. People make poor decisions that can hurt others when they’re young, but that doesn’t mean they can’t change.”
I considered. Claudia did have a good point, and I couldn’t really feel anger toward Nate after all these years. I just felt… distant. To this day, more than anything, I knew I didn’t want to let anyone hurt me like Nate had when he left, but just talking to him shouldn’t hurt. Maybe I would even get something he had never given me - the reason he left without saying goodbye. Maybe I would even be able to move on.
Claudia knew better than anyone how much the way my relationship with Nate ended had affected me. During our time at New York University, she tried to set me up with friends of hers once or twice. One of those friends even ended up staying a friend of mine until we graduated and parted ways. But Claudia and I both knew that when I started to get close to someone romantically, I pushed them away or relegated them to the friend zone. I tried to hide behind excuses at first, but in my heart, I knew the truth. I just didn’t want to get hurt again, not when I didn’t even know what I did to deserve that hurt in high school.
“It probably wouldn’t hurt,” I agreed carefully in a voice that conveyed my doubts. “I’ll think about it.”
“Okay. Zeke has been talking about the possibility of a dinner party at the Hamptons Peak. Nate would be there,” Claudia told me. “Elena and I would love for you to come.”
Elena nodded vigorously. “Since Nate would be there. It would be a great way for you two to reconnect, but also have other people around to make you more comfortable.”
“You guys are awesome.” We leaned across the table for a quick group hug. “Let me think about it for a day or two, and I’ll let you know. Okay?”
“Of course. Just know that we always have your back, whatever you decide,” Claudia assured me.
A few minutes later, I stepped into the sunlight, my heart a hundred times lighter than it had been when I went inside. I didn’t have the solution, not yet, but my friends reminded me that I wasn’t alone in this.
And… maybe, just maybe, there was another reason for my smile. Maybe I was looking forward to the possibility of seeing Nate again… but just a little bit.
