BJ walked cheerfully into the kitchen. “Dude, what the hell happened to you? You look like you got run over by a truck,” she stated honestly.
“I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about her all night,” he confessed. “Why didn’t I try to work things out with us?”
“Because you’re stubborn. You’re a Carter. We’re all stubborn.”
“What do I do, Beej?”
“Visit her. If you make peace with her, you’ll be at peace with yourself.”
“All right, Miss Philosopher.” He stood up. “I’m gonna take a shower and then run over to her apartment. I hope she still lives in the same place.”
A little while later, he ran outside and hopped in his Durango. Then he drove to her apartment. Sure enough, Matt’s car was sitting in front of the building, so she must still be living there. He almost got out to go talk to her, but then he realized exactly what Matt’s car being there meant. Matt was there. He couldn’t go talk to her when her boyfriend was there. He would come back later. As he started to pull away, he saw Matt walk out of the building and get into his car. Maybe he didn’t have to come back later.
After gathering all the nerve he had, he went inside and knocked on her apartment door. Meg started talking before the door even opened far enough for them to see each other. “Did you forget your…” she trailed off when she saw Nick standing there.
“Hey,” he said softly.
“You’re not Matt,” she stated.
“I know I’m not.”
“Uh, yeah, I’m an idiot. Come in,” she said, clearly flustered. “Just let me brush my teeth. You can wait in the living room. Then we can talk or whatever.”
He sat down on the couch and waited patiently. She came in and sat down next to him after a few seconds and immediately started finger-combing her hair. “You’re doing the nervous thing again,” he informed her.
Her hands dropped to her lap. “So what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to apologize…for everything. I know I’m two years late, but…”
“Well, I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have been such a bitch when I had done the same thing.”
They sat in silence for a few seconds. “I wonder if we’d still be together if we hadn’t been so stubborn…” he mused out loud.
“Don’t, Nick,” she pleaded. “You have no idea how much I still love you, and, I didn’t mean to tell you that.”
“You still love me?”
“Yes, I do, but I love Matt, and Matt has never cheated on me.”
“So that’s it. You and I, we’re still in love, and we both know it, but we’re just not gonna do anything about it because of Matt?”
“Stop it, Nick. I’m over you.”
“You’re not over me. I can see it in your eyes,” he stated. He scooted closer to her and ran his thumb over a single tear rolling down her cheek. “And I’m not over you, either.”
As the distance between their faces slowly lessened, she squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t do this, Nick.”
“Let yourself go, Meg.”
She didn’t reply. She gave in as his lips brushed against hers, and allowed his tongue entrance to her mouth. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her close, and her entire body turned to mush.
Suddenly, Matt’s voice filled the air from the hallway. “Meg, I forgot – “ He stopped in his tracks when he saw what was going on. “Maggie?” he said, barely above a whisper.
“Matt, what are you doing here?” Meg pulled her face away from Nick’s.
“I forgot my sweatshirt. Obviously you weren’t expecting me back. I think I’ll just go.” She studied his expression. He looked more shocked than angry, but she knew it would sink in and then he would hate her. What had she done? She had just given up her boyfriend and best friend and for what? One kiss.
As Matt walked back out of the apartment, she looked at Nick, speechless. When she finally found her voice, he had already started to speak. “I’m so sorry, Meg. I shouldn’t have – “
“God, I’m awful with relationships! I always screw things up!”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t be. I kissed back, you know.” She paused. “Look, I’m going to be blunt. I don’t know what I want to happen with us. I’m assuming I’m single now, so that’s not a problem. Can I give you a call when I figure out what I want?”
“Sure.” Without another word, he stood up and walked out of the apartment.