#23 The Admission

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POV Anna

"Are you sure about this?" I ask Marge.

"Yes, I am! You need this more than I do."

Marge was the one who first took dibs on Gary. But he asked me out. 

To take my mind off things I'm going on a date with him. It's really only a cup of coffee. I can't seriously think about anyone else at the moment.

I meet up with Gary at the camp entrance. We take his bike, which I don't know how he brought here in the first place, to the nearest city.

At the cafe, we order coffees and get into knowing each other. He says he's the basketball captain of his team, and I can't help but wonder what is it with me attracting only the guys who are into sports?

Halfway into our beverages, a group of girls walking past us suddenly stop where we are. The girl at the center says to Gary, "Hey."

Gary doesn't look too excited to see her. He just nods. She says, "How are you?"

"Good," that's all Gary gives her. She awkwardly waits a few more seconds before leaving with her friends.

"Are you going to explain?" I say. Everything about their exchange screams ex.

He smirks. "What kind of impression you think I'll make on you if I talk to you about my last girlfriend who dumped me for another guy?"

He said that in a playful tone but I can hear the underlying hurt. I encourage him talk. I can relate to him, after all.

He says they'd been dating for a long time when one day he caught her cheating with a mutual friend of theirs. She tried to apologize but he refused to accept her back.

I think he did the right thing. I also feel like I should tell him about my past. He should know I like someone now so that I don't disappoint him in the future like his ex did.

So I tell him. I tell him about the bad breakup, the fake relationship following that breakup and the real breakup of that fake relationship.

After I tell him my life story, I wait, anticipating his reaction, like a screenwriter who had just pitched his plot to a movie producer.

He doesn't say anything and look lost in thought.

"Gary? You okay. I don't think my story requires that much of a retrospection."

He slowly starts. "Does the guy you pretended to date goes to Parson High?"

My eyebrows raise. "How do you know?"

"You are the girlfriend Joe was rumored to have?"

That's freaky. Is our world really that small? "How did you guess that? You know Joe?"

"Since my team had a match in his school. So it really is him?"

I nod.

Gary gets lost in his thoughts again. I wave my hand in front of him. "You need to tell me what you're thinking," I say.

He shakes his head. "Nothing. If you still like Joe, does that mean I've no chance?"

I give him a sad smile. "Sorry."

"That's okay. But, does he like you?"

"Absolutely not. Did you not hear everything I said?"

"You wouldn't know how he feels if you don't talk to him."

"I tried contacting him many times before. He ignored me completely."

"I wouldn't be so sure he would do the same now," he mutters. 

"What do you mean?"

He doesn't answer and resumes drinking his coffee. When I ask him again he keeps saying "Nothing," so I give up and spend the rest of our date talking about other things with him.

He's cool to talk with.

After the end of our date he drops me back at the camp and says, "Can I see you again?"

l smile and nod. 

 

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