Page 81 of CHOICE Lover
“But Electra should get permission too—” Chryl starts, then her eyes narrow in on her arm. “What’s wrong with your arm?”
Electra cradles her forearm to her chest as they stare at her as if the minor nick is a contagion risk. “Nothing. I must have bumped into something last night. It’s probably from your lasso.”
Chryl’s eyes narrow. “My lasso is made of the finest nylester. Why didn’t you have my old daddy fix it?”
Res6 takes her arm, running his finger over the pea-sized cut. Good grief—she’s glad for the distraction from FrogBlog conversation, but this is just a minor cut. She pulls her arm out of his grip. “It’s nothing.”
Tommy clears his throat. “I agree. It looks minor. Chryl, let’s go get your things.”
When Chryl and Tommy eventually leave, it doesn’t escape her notice that the door to the spare room is locked once more.
If he gets to keep secrets, so do I.She huffs, turning her attention back to her station to work on her column.
November 22, 2390.
Dear Electra,
I don’t know if you remember me from your first column since there have been so many. I’m a huge fan. I got freckles done just like yours.
Electra opens the attached image. The person in the image has a stylish asymmetrical black bob, upturned eyes, and an adorable button nose dusted with freckles, similar to her own slightly pointier one.
I have news to report on the dating front. I approached my neighbor respectfully and asked permission to bring up something that might change the nature of our relationship. You were right. She was hesitant at first, but she agreed. I think I came on too strong. I just got so excited, I ended up confessing my feelings. She didn’t talk to me for a week. I swear, I was devastated, cursing this Dear Electra person who’d led me astray.
Electra’s chest tightens. She wants to help people, not to cause more loneliness and pain. She keeps reading, hoping for some good news.
But then, in the midst of my despair, she appeared at my door with takeout. She apologized for shutting me out and said it took her time to come to terms with her feelings in return. She said she’s willing to explore something more with me. I was thrilled. Needless to say, the takeout got cold.
Electra’s heart warms. See, her advice blog is a positive contribution to society!
Things were going well for a few weeks, but then she stopped wanting me to come to her unit. She still came to mine willingly. Then I saw her out with a male manupartner one day at the food court. She didn’t see me, and we haven’t spoken since, though she’s rung my doorbell a dozen times. It’s not that I wouldn’t be open to adding a manupartner to our relationship, even a male one, but her deception makes me feel betrayed.My question: is this something we can move past, or was it foolish of me to get my hopes up for a relationship? What do I do?
Desperately,
Born in the Wrong Century
Electra chews her lip. If she’s going to advise this person, she needs to handle it delicately.
Dear Born in the Wrong Century,
First, the image you sent is adorable, and I’m so flattered that I inspired you to get freckles. They suit you.
To answer your question, relationships are never perfect. Getting hurt is part of the risk, but people need people, and love matters. Lying and deception are big indiscretions in any relationship. It is up to you to decide what you can forgive. Your partner may have hidden her manupartner from you out of fear of losing your relationship.
If you choose to move forward, you can gently confront her about it, and share your feelings of hurt and betrayal. Remember, don’t speculate about her reasoning or accuse her. Just tell her how you feel, and listen if she tries to explain herself. Then if you come to an understanding, you can share with her that you’d be willing to explore different things in the relationship, but in the future, you need her to be upfront with you about her desires first if she wants the relationship to continue. You can reassure her of your willingness to be understanding because of how much you care about her.
Of course, if you find you are unable to forgive her, you may want to have a thoughtful conversation with her about why. Either way, this will be good practice at developing your social intelligenceand interpersonal skills, which will help you greatly in future relationships.
Wishing you a happy outcome,
Electra
It takes her only a few minutes to proofread the entry and post it. Feeling satisfied, she scans the other submissions, thinking she’ll prepare for tomorrow’s post.
Res6 passes behind her on his way to the kitchen. She quickly closes the window, but he pauses. She keeps her voice casual as she asks, “Is it already lunchtime?”
“What are you working on?” he asks.
“Just writing, like you suggested.” Technically, it isn’t a lie.More like an error of omission.Shut up, Janet.
