“Yeah. Sorry.”
“Are you coming back in?”
“No. I have something I need to take care of. Can you kiss mom for me? Tell her I’ll call her later?”
“Eric,” She whines.
“I came! Is that not enough for today, Em?”
“Yeah, I guess.” She sighs, “Be careful. Call me if you need me, ok?”
I end the call and walk to my truck in the parking garage down the street, wishing I could reel my mind back in.
Now that Hanna is gone, I can’t help but question everything else in my life. I shut the door and crank the ignition, forcing myself to drive. Just go home, Eric, I tell myself.
And I should. Go home, I mean.
Instead, I find myself sitting outside Karly’s condo like a fucking creep. I’m not even sure she went home. Shit, for all I know, she could be with someone else.
No, fuck that.
It messes with my head too much to even think that. Not that it should. It’s not like I have any right to feel any type of way about her. Let alone jealous.
I stare into her window that I can see from my parking spot and notice a soft glow behind the curtains, and I wonder if she’s inside. I feel so bad for putting her in the situation that I put her in the other night, but what’s worse is that I wanted it.
I pull out my phone, ready to message her, but Hanna’s name appears on the screen. Her messages sitting there from the past week, unopened.
I scroll down to Karly’s name and type out a message.
Me: Next time you decide to go on a blind date, let’s run a background check.
I stare at the screen and feel a little giddy when the three small dots appear, indicating that she’s responding.
Jolene: I think I’m done.
Me: Done?
Jolene: Yeah, it’s a waste of time.
Because they will never be good enough. I think to myself.
Me: You deserve better.
Jolene: It seems like a lost cause at this point.
Me: I know how you feel.
Jolene: Shut up. It’s not even close to the same thing.
Me: We’re both alone, aren’t we?
I look back up at her window, wondering if she’s sitting on her bed.
Jolene: Hanna loved you. No one’s ever loved me like that. Not really.
Me: Didn’t really matter in the end, did it? She loved him more.
Jolene: I guess that’s true. You deserve a better ending than that.