Izzy is the one person I've always known who isgenuinelyin my corner. She gets my sarcasm and my need to keep everything upbeat even when it's unrealistic, and she's honest with me—even when it's hard. She's the person who isn't scared to put me in my place and tell me exactly what I don't want to hear but always what I need to hear.
She and Maverick have been dating for close to a year now. As much as I hate to admit it, and I will never admit it to him because it would make his ego swell more than it already has, I like them together. He's the only guy Izzy has ever dated who truly appreciates her for the wonderfully remarkable ball of chaos that she is.
He's the only guy she's ever actually been official with. That in itself is a miracle. He can take a joke, although he's terrible at cracking them himself unless you're into painfully corny dad jokes. He makes her a priority and is patient with her. She lights up every time she sees him.
I have a feeling they will move in with each other soon. I've told her for the past couple of months that she doesn't have to worry about rent here and that I can handle it alone. I tried convincing her to spread her wings and fly right into his home. Every time we discuss it, she says she isn't ready, and I feel guilty about that because I know she's secretly saying she isn't prepared to leave me. She knows she's all I have, and I'm not too fond of the burden being put on her.
I read through the messages again.
Now, I'm unsure if I'm more annoyed by her making decisions for me that she knows I will hate or by her terrible grammarand obsession with punctuation marks. I know her intruding on my lack of interest in having a dating life is genuinely out of concern. She wants me to be happy and firmly believes this is the resolution—' The key to my happiness.' UGH!
Via:"I'm just leaving therapy with Dr. C. Be home soon." I send this as I finally gather my thoughts and head home.
Izzy:"IS THAT AN AGREEMENT TO THE DATE!?!?" She texts back instantly, without hesitation.
Via:"It's a 'you've officially lost your mind, and I'll gladly give up my next therapy appointment so that you can go talk it out and try to find it.' I'm about to start driving; I'll be there in 10."
VIA:Oh, and Clark is persistent. I found yet another note on my dash today.
Izzy:Damnnnnnn. He is THIRSTYYYY.
"Thirsty".It's more like persistently creepy and annoying.
On these drives home after therapy, I tend to keep the music low in the background. I like to let my thoughts of what we discussed and how I felt while discussing it sort themselves out.
I pull up to our house and see Izzy's Mercedes and Maverick's big extra-wheeled truck in the driveway. Mav works in the oilfield on an oil rig, working away for weeks at a time. On the weeks he's home, he helps run his grandparents' ranch on the prairie in the back of town. His dually usually takes up over half the driveway. Today, he considerately left enough room for me. They must be trying to win me over.
As I walk in, the laughter I hear slowly fades. They're both in the living room as if waiting for me.
Maverick jumps up and says, "LIVI! Don't kill me!" He started calling me 'Livi' a few months back. What began as a joke that he could come up with a better nickname for me than Izzy could kind of just stuck, but only for him. No one else ever calls me that.
Maverick stands just a little bit taller than I am. He has long, wavy, light brown hair that's always in the way of his blue eyes. His square jawline always has stubble.Izzy hates it.
I laugh as I roll my eyes and set my purse down on the hall tree. I joined them on the couch, and Izzy came to sit next to me, wrapping her arms around me.
Izzy is stunning. She has gorgeously long legs, a tiny frame, deep green eyes, and beautiful natural blonde hair. Out of the two of us, She's the showstopper. I'm more. . . Girl next door.
"Scale of one to ten?" she asks with the cheesiest 'please don't hate me and understand I'm doing this because I love you' grin on her face.
This is our thing. Anytime we know we've upset the other, we make them rate it so we can know how to proceed. We've done it since we were kids. It's probably immature that we still do it in adulthood, but it works for us.
I sigh as I hug her back. "It was an 8. Now it's about a 3".
"I can handle a 3!" she laughs, raises her eyebrows, and nods. I don't think she was expecting me to be so calm. I think she expected more of a fight, but I'm not up for being stubborn today.
It's one date—no commitment—and a double date, at that. So, I'm not even fully required to engage. I could observe. Yes, that's what I'll do. I'll observe. I'm good at that. If 'people watching' were considered a talent, it would be mine.
"Well, can I at least know this guy's name?" I ask jokingly as I throw my hands up and sigh in defeat.
Izzy laughs and turns to Maverick, who is in the kitchen now. "His name is Bear. He works offshore with my buddy Silas and me. He lives just a few towns over. He was originally from out of state. He's the same age as you and Izzy."
Bear. This instantly brings me back to my little sister Natalie and how I called her 'Natty Bear' since the day she was born. Ifeel a pull at my heart and tears that threaten to cloud my eyes, but I hold them back. It's just a name, just a date, and only one night. That's all they're getting out of me.
Dr. Carr will be pleased. She'll think that our talk must have worked wonders for me. I can't help but laugh to myself at that thought. Little does she know my best friend is hard to say no to. Because she will annoy the shit out of me, entirely on purpose, until I give in. I'm stubborn, but no one is that strong.
Honestly, what guy calls himself Bear?
I guess I have about twenty-four hours until I find out.
