Shit. I thought I had done a pretty decent job of masking the Quasimodo routine. That’s what I get for letting Ransom use me so hard last night. My only solace comes from knowing that I used him just as hard. With any luck, he’s feeling it too this morning. I scoff, waving her comment off. “I was not limping. I just strained a muscle is all.”
“Mmm hmm. Let me guess, yoga really kicked your ass this morning?”
Not yoga, I think to myself. I can tell by her amused expression that she isn’t buying my excuse. She’s always been able to see right through me, so I don’t even know why I bother trying to lie.
I feel a sudden wave of doubt slam into me. She doesn’t have it together any more than I do, but I still consider asking her for advice. It’s selfish of me, and yet, maybe it will make her feel better to focus on something other than her screwed up love life.
“Annie…” I hesitate. How to form this question? “Assume you know someone who is involved with someone that they probably shouldn’t be.”
Perking up, I now have her full attention. “Is this someone I know?”
“Purely hypothetical.”
She purses her lips. “Okay, I have no idea who these fictional people are, but they’re in a relationship?”
“It’s more sex than a relationship,” I clarify. “But what if one of them wants it to be more than that?”
“I guess it depends on who the other person is and what they want. What are they like?”
“Well, they’re both smart, serious about their career, friendly, and attractive. They have a lot in common, actually.”
“That’s a start. What are they like together?”
I look toward the window framing the back of the couch and choose my words carefully. “They have fun. Sometimes they laugh, but mostly it’s very intense. Recently they’ve been spending some time together outside of their normal routine, and it’s making things…complicated.”
Annie frowns as she studies me. I shift uncomfortably under her close scrutiny, fearing she’ll be able to see right through me. “If these two people have agreed to have a purely sexual relationship, and one of them is changing their mind, then I think that person has a duty to tell the other person how they’re feeling so they can decide how to proceed.”
“What if the other person decides they want to end the relationship?”
“It’s a risk, but in the end, it would protect both of them. Staying too long in a relationship that isn’t working anymore can do more damage than good.”
I raise a brow at her remark and she purses her lips again, receiving the silent message. “Well, what if one of them is getting mixed signals,” I press on. “For example, what if they can’t tell what the other person is feeling because each time they see the other person, they’re different.”
Annie is quiet for a long time as she mulls this over. I wait patiently, because it’s either sit here and do nothing or go to class and face Ransom. When I left his room this morning, he was the same distant and dismissive man he was last week. If I attend his class only to have him look at me with softness and caring again, I’m going to scream. Hiding out in this apartment for a few hours seems like the safest bet at the moment.
“I think if this person has to think so hard about their relationship status, then maybe it’s not worth the trouble,” Annie finally says. “Relationships are supposed to make you feel good. Whether it’s love or purely sex, there shouldn’t be any question about who feels what for whom or what’s going to happen next, and there definitely shouldn’t be any anxiety or fear about talking to the other person about their feelings.”
Again, I raise a pointed brow. Apparently, Annie is good at doling out advice, but not taking it. “So you’re saying that this person should walk away?”
“No, I’m saying that if you feel something for this man, tell him. Men are notoriously aloof. Unless you tell them straight up how you’re feeling, most of them won’t get it.”
Our gazes meet and an understanding passes between us. She knows we’re talking about me, and I know that she will have questions for me later. When that happens, I plan to use her advice against her, and she knows that, too.
“I need to get moving. I have class today.” With practiced ease, I stand and walk to the door. Annie follows and leans against the jamb as I step into the hall.
“So who is this mystery man?”
I feel a smile inch across my face at the nickname I had used for Ransom before I learned his real name. “I’m afraid I have to plead the fifth.”