What She Forgot (What She 2)

“So…what are you going to do?” she asked.

“I guess we’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing.” I had no idea what was next. I knew what I wanted to be next, but I didn’t know how to get there.

“You really like him, huh?”

“I like him a lot.”

“Do you think he likes you?” she asked, her voice hesitant.

“I don’t know. This was supposed to be one big game to draw Megan out of hiding.”

“But it’s not a game anymore.”

No, it wasn’t a game anymore.

“Shelly—” But she stopped.

I sat up straighter. “What?”

Her voice dropped down until it was soft. “What would happen if you just let it happen?”

“Let what happen?”

She laughed. “Whatever is going to happen.”

“You think I should just let it happen.” Had she lost her mind?

“You’ve had sex before, Shelly,” she reminded me. I could almost see her rolling her eyes.

“This feels like it would be more than sex,” I said quietly. “So much more.”

“Does it have to be?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, where would be the harm in just letting it be sex? Just letting it be fun? Does it have to mean more? Does it have to mean more today? Would it help you if you treated it like the others?”

I didn’t know if I could treat Clark like the others. The others were a quick screw, a means to an end. They weren’t people I cared about. “Maybe,” I said instead. “I like him. A lot.”

“You just met him,” she reminded me.

“How long after you met Mason did you know he was the one?” I already knew the answer to this, but I wanted to hear her say it.

“Same day,” she said.

“See?”

Then I said nothing. She didn’t either. She waited a beat.

“Does he feel the same way?”

I slapped my palm on the desk. “I don’t know how he feels. That’s the problem.”

“Well, you’re not alone. We never know.” She laughed lightly.

“You knew.”

“I knew how I felt. I didn’t know how Mason felt until I talked to him.”