Then I blurted, “So do you like her?”
His eyebrows furrowed together like he hadn’t expected the question, which was fair, because I hadn’t expected to ask it.
But I needed to know.
He swallowed and I thought he wasn’t going to answer, but then he said, “Alex is great.”
“Oh.” I hoped my face didn’t show how close I was to crying, how that one syllable was like a punch to the stomach. “Well, yay. I’ve got to go.”
I took a step around him, but he grabbed my arm and stopped me. “That’s it? You’re not going to explain what all of that was?”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“It might.”
“It doesn’t, okay?” I tried to sound light and easy, like I was fine with everything as he dropped his hand. “I made the CD and set an
embarrassing scene because I realized that Michael isn’t the person I can’t stop thinking about, and I wanted to tell you. I mean, he’s great, but being with him is nothing like eating burgers with you, or sneaking out to the Secret Area to make s’mores and look at the stars, or fighting with you over a parking space. But it took me too long to figure that out, and now you’ve got Alex.”
He opened his mouth, but I shook my head.
“No. It’s fine—I get it. She’s flawless and sweet, and as much as I hate to say it, you deserve someone like her.” I took a big, shaky breath as those dark eyes made me so sorry for everything I’d done to get us here. “Because I was wrong, Wes. You are the good stuff.”
He scratched his chin and looked past me, down the street. Then he settled his eyes on my face and said, “That’s not the only thing you’re wrong about.”
“What?” Leave it to him to kick me when I’m down. “What’re you talking about?”
“You’re wrong about Alex. She’s not flawless.”
“Bennett, no one is totally flawless—come on.” I couldn’t believe his nerve. “She’s pretty dang close, though.”
“I suppose.”
“You suppose? What on earth could she possibly be lacking? Do you want bigger boobs or something? Is she not—”
“She’s not you.”
“What?”
“She. Isn’t. You.”