Ollie:*thumb up emoji* See you soon, brother.
When I arrive at my favorite Mexican restaurant hours later, I spot my friends right away. I’m usually the first, but my last meeting lasted an hour longer than expected.
Getting up, Jax gives me a manly one-side hug while whistling loudly.
“Duuude, Ollie boy here told me you’ve got news to share,” he declares too happily for my liking.
“Of course, he did,” I answer dryly, leering at Ollie.
If looks could kill.
Starting from the beginning, I tell them about my interview with Rose. How surprising it was to see her, how she acted like she didn’t know me, and how I wanted to meet with her later. I also explained her name change from Maggie to Rose.
After I finish telling them everything, Ollie stays silent. Jax and I share a look because when Ollie is quiet like this, it’s better just to wait him out.
“What I gathered, you still really like her and can’t wait to see her again. At the same time, I sense some doubt, maybe because of your shared history. I think you should give her and dating, in general, a chance, since you’ve been closed off since Corinna cheated on you—”
Okay, this is going somewhere.
“—My point is, it isn’t normal for a charming, successful guy like yourself only to have sex with their right hand. Don’t you think? I could always get you one of those masturbator sex toys. You know, the one that vibrates and wraps around you. Jax must have recommendations.”
And there it comes. Jax tries to hide his snort, but his effort is too late. Smacking the back of Ollie’s head, I glower at him. Jax starts laughing loudly and can’t stop for the next ten minutes.
When he finally gets his shit together, Ollie continues. “Sorry, I had to add that. In all seriousness, give her a freaking chance. Imagine this: you finally get that second chance you always wanted. I know she broke your heart, but what if it all works this time? You could get your first love back.”
I nod slowly, putting words to my thoughts. “But I don’t know if I’m ready to put myself out there right now. Corinna is trying to make my life a living hell. With these new insane claims, I’m pretty uncertain what will happen with my company. It sounds much worse as the case around the fire is unresolved, and nobody knows what happened that night seven years ago.”
“Dude, what’s the worst thing that could happen? Maggie, I meanRose, broke your heart once already. It can’t be that bad the second time.” Jax jokes.
Ollie rolls his eyes. “And that’s another reason why I’m unsurprised by your relationship status.”
“Guys, focus! I still have no fucking clue what to do,” I nearly shout as my neck gets hot and my hands shake nervously.
The guys promise to help me figure something out. We move on to talk about other things like work and sports. And there’s something I can’t stop thinking about the rest of the dinner–I really wish I could call dad or mom for advice.
But unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
MAGGIE’S DIARY
TWO WEEKS AFTER THE FIRE
Pain scale of my burns:5.5(ish)
Today’s song:Scars by Papa Roach
I really wish I didn’t remember anything about that night.
It hurts to think about those events again and again.
They play on repeat in my head whenever I close my eyes.
Like a song that is stuck in your head.
And there’s no way I can get rid of those haunting mental images.
Please make it stop!
That night was like one of those disaster films my dad loved to watch when I was little.
