Jealousy Doesn't Suit Friends Who Want To Be Lovers
Day 195 of The Andie Chronicles
"What do you think?"
Taylor was holding a crystal vase, tall, ornate with a thick base that wouldn't shatter if you dropped it on bathroom tiles. Thick and heavy.
It wasn't modern; it looked like something that belonged in Barbie's crystal display cupboard. It wasn't to my taste, but that didn't matter. It was all about GG, whether she liked it, and whether it would pass the test when she opened it at her birthday soiree tomorrow.
I looked at the price tag on the box. This horrible vase was nearly two thousand dollars. And based on the store we were standing in, GG would know precisely how much it was worth as soon as she set eyes on it.
"Don't you have the stem wear in this style?" I could see the glasses perched behind his head in the display cabinet. "Yes, I do."
"So you're giving her something that goes with your home? With your collection?"
He nodded and then shook his head. "This isn't just a vase, is it?"
"No, Mr Gallo, it isn't. This is a symbol of your lives joining together. You're merging crystal, and that is a big deal for GG. Are you ready for it?"
"You know I'm not ready for that. I've been suggesting she stays at her house more often to ensure it doesn't get robbed. But I don't think she's taking the hint."
"Why are you hinting at her? Why can't you tell her to slow things down?"
It was apparent why Taylor was being cryptic rather than honest with GG. As much as I adored Taylor, he was very much like his brother in the dating communication stakes.
Whilst he was a hopeless romantic, he lacked the ability to tell the woman in his life how he felt for fear of what might happen next. For fear of hurting the woman before him. For fear of looking like the bad guy. For fear of doing something he will ultimately regret. It's a minefield when you love 'love' like Taylor does.
"Maybe I should get something that doesn't match, then." I followed him around the store as he tried to find something else. Taylor grunted at my suggestions, his curt responses becoming terse with every step around the decadent store.
"So, what did you think of Cooper?"
I had no intention of asking for Taylor's opinion but considering he was all in his head about this present, I thought of anything to break the tension. "He's nice, fine."
"Fine? Not exactly what you want to hear your new man described as."
"What do you want me to say?"
"The truth. How about that?" Taylor hadn't been truthful today; I couldn't expect him to start now. But I could demand it from him.
"He's fantastic. And that's a problem for me. I hoped he was a dud, and then it wouldn't be all over between you and me."
"We're friends, Taylor. That's not going to change."
Taylor stood by another collection of vases distinctly different from the one he had contemplated before. He held a vase and then put it down, defeated by the entire shopping experience.
"Yeah, well, this friendship isn't what I want, now is it?"
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
By the way, this all started when Andie turned thirty-five, and her then-boyfriend didn’t call her.
Or the day after that.
Or the day after that, too.
Everything started to unravel when her BFFs got into bed with her ex, too… ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
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A little lost on what’s happening at 1 Lovelock Drive?
Well, you see, Andie’s break-up started back in February and so much has happened since then. These stories will help you catch right up! xx
