But none of those comments faze me. It’s the thread toward the bottom that catches my eye.
PropertyofLucy69: Holy fuck, you did not just ask the internet how to get your boy back. Stefan and I are so disappointed.
HardKnox214: Right? Fuck you very much for asking perfect strangers and not us.
TyGetsL1t: Wow. You’re making mistakes left and right, McBride.
I stare at my screen. Shit. It may have been a miscalculation to seek the advice of the internet instead of asking Booker’s best friends. I mean, that’s not a lion’s den I particularly want to visit right now, but they know him better than anyone. If it means the possibility of having Booker back in my life, then I'll do just about anything.
Chapter 29
Ian
Traffic islight for a Saturday morning, so I make it back to Bainbridge in decent time after breakfast with my family. Bypassing my apartment complex, I head straight to Wolfie’s. The three of them are in a back booth, just like Willa said they would be.
Knox’s face splits into a shit-eating grin. “Well, well, well, gentleman. Look who we have here.”
Ty frowns. “Isn’t this the asshole who broke our best friend’s heart?”
I’m not surprised at their cool reception. I’ve certainly earned it, and in Knox’s case, he’s only giving me the same shit I gave him. I can take their scrutiny. If it gets me a shot at getting Booker back, it’s worth it.
I turn my attention to Whit, who’s unusually quiet.
He returns my gaze and steeples his hands in front of him. “Give me one good reason why we should listen to anything you have to say.”
“Because I love him,” I state plainly. “And I fucked up. So hard. But if he’s half as miserable as I am, then I’ll do whatever it takes to make things right.”
A silent look passes between them, and they nod in fucking unison. It’s a little weird, to be honest, but it’s so them that I almost laugh. I manage to bite back my smirk, innately aware that one false move could get me kicked out of here. And while I could seek Booker out and beg his forgiveness, I know that’s not enough. He deserves so much more, and I need to prove my love to him in a big way. I take a seat and listen to what they have to say.
Knox folds his arms across his chest.“You need a grand gesture.”
Ty looks at him. “What? You’re Mr. Relationship now?”
Knox just nods. “Damn right. Willa reads romance novels, and Christ, it’s like Pornhub bought out the Hallmark Channel. That shit’s awesome. You fuckers should be so lucky to have storytime.”
Whit just shakes his head. “Look, we need to focus. And holy shit, if I'm the one keeping us on track, things are bleak.”
“Thank you,” I say honestly. “Look, I’ll do whatever it takes. If that means a grand gesture, so be it. Booker deserves to know how much he means to me.”
“Then you need to prove your love,” Knox says, and part of me knows he’s taking a little bit of joy in the fact that I fucked my relationship up, especially after all the shit I gave him. But the other part me doesn’t care. I just need advice—good advice.
“Ok, so what are you thinking?”
“It’s gotta be in public, for starters,” Knox tells me, and I get that.
“I’ll make t-shirts,” Whit volunteers.
“You and that damn Cricut. What the hell are you putting on these shirts?” Ty asks.
“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Whit begins. “You get a different shirt for each day, right? For like a week. And we’ll color code them. Anyway, the first one will be like,Ask Me Why I’m an Asshole. And then the next one will say,Ask Me How I Broke My Ex's Heart. Then maybe,How Can I Atone for My Wrongs?”
“Oh, yeah. Like a week-long walk of shame. I like that,” Knox says, his voice ringing with approval.
I’m not so sure I like that idea, but if they think it will work, I’ll do it. Whit must sense my hesitation because he changes course.
“Or…” Whit’s says, clearly on a roll, “You could rent a skywriter. Now, if you ask me, that’s a little overdone, but I can see the appeal.”
“You could rent the dance team,” Knox says, and I can’t tell if he’s joking. “No, for real. They could do one of those flash mobs.”
