The Meeting Point by Olivia Lara
Sixty
“Really? Let’s see then. Did you and your boyfriend hug?” Ethan asks.
“Yes, but—”
“Did you and your boyfriend kiss?”
I stare.
“Did you go to meet Max like you said?”
“I was on my way.”
“You were on your way. I see. And a hurricane came and took you away and back to New York. I read this story, the Kansas version. I expect more from a writer. Anything else?”
“You’re twisting it all.”
“How? It’s what happened. He followed you around all day, watched out for you, fell for you, and when he got the courage to ask you to meet him, you chose your boyfriend.”
“There’s an explanation for that.”
“Keep it for someone who cares,” he says snappily.
“I thought he changed his mind. He wasn’t where we agreed we’d meet.”
“Was he supposed to show up, shake your boyfriend’s hand and then walk with you… into the sunrise? Of course he wasn’t there. He’d just watched you two kissing.”
“This is not fair.”
“No, it’s not. When is love fair, Maya?”
My eyes are brimming with tears.
“You didn’t care enough to take a chance on him and now you’re back. So let me ask again. Why?”
“To explain.”
He makes a noise like a buzzer. “Wrong answer! You already tried to explain to me and look how that went.”
“He’s not going to have the same reaction. Max is not like you. He’ll understand.”
“You’re wrong,” he snaps back.
“I’m not wrong. I know him better than I know most people in my life.”
Ethan starts laughing. “You never even saw him that day. You don’t know his name. What makes you think you know anything about him?”
“Because I do. Because—you don’t have to see someone to fall in love with them.”
“Love? We’re talking about love now? If you loved him, you wouldn’t have left like you did. That’s not love. You were not here after that. I had to pick up the pieces.”
“I did love him. I still do, a year later. I never forgot him or our day together.”
I wipe a tear with the back of my hand. Ethan is so cruel.
“Does your boyfriend know you love another man then?”
“What boyfriend?”
“The one who keeps calling you. The same one you left Carmel with last year.”
My nostrils are flaring. His words spin around in my head.
“How do you know it’s the same guy who’s calling me now?”
He stares for a moment. “Because I saw his name on your phone. I’m not dumb.”
“Not that you’d care, but my ‘boyfriend’ and I are over.”
“Weren’t you over before and then you weren’t?” he says coldly. “I expect this David fella will show up here, promise you the moon and the stars or whatever he does to change your mind, and you’ll be back on the boyfriend express; direction: New York.”
“You’re wrong,” I say.
He shrugs. “Sure. If you say so.”
I take a deep breath. “You’re not going to tell me his name, are you?”
“I’m still waiting for the answer to my question. If I tell you or not, it’s up to you.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“The truth.”
“I already told you the truth. I want to explain.”
Ethan puts his hands in his jeans’ pockets. “If all you want to do is explain why you left, you’re wasting your time. And mine. How will that help? You broke his heart once and I think you’ll do it again. Nothing has changed. The only difference is that a year has passed.”
“You’re only saying this because you don’t know me,” I say, feeling hurt.
He sighs. There is hurt in his eyes and sadness. Alisa is just as protective over me, like he is with Max. This side of Ethan, just like his strong feelings for Celine, erases some of his negatives. He’s not a bad man. He’s a caring friend, a protective brother, a talented writer, has a quirky sense of humor and he cleans up nicely. And he’s an excellent kisser. I can’t believe I thought about that now, of all times. What’s wrong with me? Something’s definitely wrong.
“Maybe you’re right, although I doubt it. I think I know you.”
“How could you possibly know me? You haven’t even tried to get to know the real me. You never gave me a chance. You think you have me all figured out, but you don’t.” I’m all out of ideas. “How about this? A pact. A temporary truce of some sort.”
“I thought you hated me. Why would you want to make a pact with me?” he asks.
“That’s how much that day means to me. I’m willing to do whatever it takes and because I think that once you get to know me, the real me, you’ll feel better about my relationship with him. So, whether I hate you or not is irrelevant—”
“So you do hate me,” he says with a straight face.
“Yes!” I say. “Are you happy now?”
“Ecstatic. So, what’s the pact?”
I open my mouth to say the words, but I can’t. The magnitude of what I’m about to do hits me. Can I go through with this? Nothing terrifies me more than sharing my work with someone. Sharing my work with a bestselling author is excruciating. But I have to do it so I can find Max. I don’t know what else would convince Ethan of what’s in my heart.
“I’ll let you read—” I stop. I’m about to hyperventilate.
“Yes?” he asks and I’m already feeling a tinge of mockery in his tone.
Deep breaths, Maya. You can do this.“My manuscript. You said you don’t know what my intentions are, and you don’t believe I’m telling the truth about that day and what I felt. Read it and you’ll know the truth.”
No muscles move on his face. “I hear an ask is coming,” he says.
“After you finish reading and you get to know the real me, you’ll tell me his name.”
“That’s if I believe you.”
“I’m convinced you will.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I’ll be out of your life and never bother you or your friend again.”
I stretch out my hand. “Deal?”
He hesitates. Then he shakes my hand. “Deal.”