Page 18 of The Catch

"Whatever you're feeling, it's valid." Confidence fills her words.

"Are we sure about that?" I raise an eyebrow. "How can you say it's valid if we don't know what that is?"

She lifts a shoulder like she's not concerned in the least. "I'm biased and I think you've never done anything wrong ever. I'm okay with that."

I laugh.

"I'm not worried." She winks. "You'll figure it out. Just take the time to break the pattern. Don't jump into another relationship you'll try to make work for way too long."

I gaze at my lap. Jo and I aren't best friends, but we're close enough she sees the errors in my ways. Her words sting, but they help. She's right.

I nod.

"Now let's go outside and have a chat with everyone," she says. "Let's tell them there's a plan and that we're a team. They need to hear it from you."

With a flutter in my stomach, I do as I’m told.

Chapter 7

Ames

I return to Saint's place in the afternoon, more exhausted than I had realized. The leather couch calls my name, and I sit there to scroll through my emails and contacts. When no names stand out as potential business leads, I make a list of people to write emails to just in case, and let my gaze wander through the glistening landscape across the window.

Saint's condo is gorgeous, with lots of white, chrome fixtures, and the warmth of caramel-toned furniture. Colors aren't prevalent, except for a few abstract paintings on the walls. It may be a way to not distract from the real beauty of the place— the view steals the show. With large glass panes everywhere, one's eyes can get lost in Bellevue many stories below, and Lake Washington in the distance.

I've been here for about two weeks, and I still have no real plans. I'm still in a funk. All I've done is nap and wonder where I went wrong. Was I a terrible girlfriend? I didn't think I was, but whatever I did wasn't enough to make things work, despite my best efforts. Being a Perfect Girlfriend didn't affect the end results. Now I'm moping on my brother's friend's couch. Ugh.

Said sofa is incredibly comfortable. So cozy, I let myself slide sideways to lay on it.

Saint assures me it's okay and I can take as much time as I need. Pablo has echoed his friend when I chat with him. Yet I can't shake the feeling that I'm not doing enough. There are ways to do things right and, if I try really hard, I can find a way to get what I want. Whether it's about love or work. It's the same feeling in a different font.

I close my eyes and sink into the cushions. The weight of the past few weeks turns my body into concrete. A pit opens in my chest, until a few tears fall behind my closed eyelids. It's the sixth time I cry over this. Over what Aidan did, and how it turned my future upside down.

All the work I put into shaping my life into what I wanted, practically gone. No happily ever after for me. Lost it without a warning and with no explanation.

I don't know how long I cry for, and I don't realize I'm falling asleep. All I know is that, when I open my eyes again, it's dark outside, a soft light shines on the living room, and a blanket keeps me warm.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Ames."

I angle my head to find Saint sitting on the other sofa. He wears black jeans with a printed pattern of large, semi-transparent flowers, white sneakers, and a light gray button up. One ankle rests on the other knee, and one elbow is propped on the back of that couch. He holds his phone on his lap, but casts his eyes at me.

"You wear shoes inside?" I ask.

"These are one of my indoor pairs."

"It shouldn't surprise me that someone who wears big flowers on his jeans, would wear fashionable shoes inside."

He gets up and comes closer, to end up sitting on the coffee table.

His eyes land on me. "Right? No slippers for me."

"I hadn't noticed."

I'm still laying down, cozy under the blanket Saint must have put on me. Warmth blooms inside. It's a mix of the effect of the blanket, and the receiver's gesture.

His lips pull to the side. "You've been… preoccupied."

He gazes at me with the same concerned expression he's worn whenever I surface from my room.