Chapter 9
9
“ O kay, I think this man is a psychopath, like the Riddler from Gotham ,” Ava says, walking into my cottage, kicking off her sneakers, and handing me a takeout bag from Shirley’s.
“How do you know about Gotham ?” I ask.
“Your brother was obsessed with that show. But I must admit, the Riddler was always my fave. There was just something about him.” She dramatically sighs and fans her face. “Team Villain over here.” She holds up a folded paper. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist reading this. Hate me for it later.”
“ Of course you couldn’t,” I say, faking annoyance. “I take it there’s more on there than a simple email?”
“Oh, his email is there, but I highly doubt give me another chance Essie at groveling man dot com is a legit email.”
I snatch the paper, holding it in my mouth, and untie the takeout bag, moving into the living room. I drag the food containers out of the bag and unfold the paper while collapsing on the couch.
Ava follows my lead.
Two glasses of red wine sit on the coffee table. After she left to meet with Adrian, I poured them for us while waiting for her return. That was after she called me a chickenshit for not meeting with him myself.
Next to the wine is a bowl of popcorn.
à la Olivia Pope.
I ignore the food and mutter, “What the hell?” as my eyes skim what Adrian wrote on the paper.
At the top is the false email, written in blue Sharpie.
Underneath the email, he wrote out a bulleted list in red Sharpie.
“They’re all our inside jokes,” I say.
No wonder they didn’t make sense to Ava.
“Not going to lie, babe, but something that sweet does fall into the groveling category.” She pulls her thick hair up into a ponytail and clasps a tie around it. “I also need you to explain some of them to me, please and thank you, because they sound very interesting.”
I grip the paper tight and read off the first bullet that’s a song quote.
She holds up a finger. “That one I did know, and I love that he’s quoting Tay Tay. Though he doesn’t give off Swiftie vibes.”
“In college, Adrian asked for my favorite playlist. I sent it to him, and ‘Treacherous’ was on it. He listened to it and said those lyrics reminded him of me. After that, before he drove to see me, he’d text me that quote.”
“This guy needs to stop being romantic before I fall in love with him.”
“Ava!” I lean forward to smack her shoulder.
“Kidding, kidding,” she sings out. “He has his shit together too well. Not my type. I prefer workaholics with subpar communication skills.”
“True. I mean, your ex did cut people and then stitch them back up.”
She snorts. “He was a surgeon . God, you say it like he was a serial killer.” She picks up a glass of wine, hands it to me, and then grabs hers before nodding toward the letter. “Now, keep cracking the cutesy little inside joke codes for me.”
“A simple twist of fate,” I read off.
She blinks at me, the glass rim against her lips, waiting for me to explain.
“Lyrics from ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ by Bob Dylan.” I shut my eyes, remembering the conversation we had about it. “The song was his mother’s favorite. She listened to it during every car ride when he was growing up, and just like ‘Treacherous,’ he said it reminded him of me.”
“I’ll have to add that to my Essie and Adrian Fall for Each Other Again playlist. Do you mind if I make that public?” The smirk on her face doesn’t leave, even when she takes a sip of wine.
“You make it public, and I’ll make your Pet the Kitty playlist public.”
“Okay, that’s rude. It’s not my fault River found my pleasuring myself playlist and renamed it.” She leans forward and grabs a handful of popcorn. “I do have to give him props for creativity, though.”
I throw my head back, bursting out in laughter.
One thing about hanging out with Ava is that you know you’re going to laugh. It’s why she and my brother are so close.
Nostalgia hits me as I read off the list.
“Oh, I know that one,” Ava says. “ Legally Blonde quote. I think you made me watch that movie more than your brother did Gotham .”
The list fills nearly the entire page, giving me reminders of our favorite foods and little comments we made to each other, and the last item is a link. Ava types it into her phone, and it’s a list of all the books Adrian and I read together—from fiction to legal books.
I only spent a few months with Adrian in college, but we had so many memories. I suck in a shallow sigh to stop tears from filling my eyes .
I miss so much of this .
“Now, come on. You have to admit that was cute,” Ava comments when I’m finished.
I carefully fold the note, tightening the creases, and place it on the table. “Yes, but a slow loris is cute until it bites and kills you.” I snatch my wine and chug it.
“Those are cute, but hate to say it, their eyes creep me out. They’re like two huge boba pearls.” She scoots closer, noticing my change in emotions, and settles her head on my shoulder. “I know you never told me the entire story of what happened between you two, but sometimes, giving someone a second chance is okay, Essie. Sometimes, the second time around is when you truly show someone everything about you.”
A tear slips down my cheek as I whisper, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
She kisses my cheek. “I’m here for you, no matter what.”
I slowly nod before reaching forward to finally open the food containers.
Ava and I spend the next three hours watching Emily in Paris while sharing the nachos, grilled cheese sandwich, and carrot cake.