Hitchhiker by Stacy Borel Page A

you just never see it. I swear you lack so much confidence in yourself. A guy could straight up hit you in the face with a brick that says, ‘I’m into you,’ and you’d still be oblivious.”
    I flipped her off.
    “Bitch, please.” She grinned at me. “And sure, being taken care of is great. Who doesn’t want that? But that’s not all that you should have in a relationship. Has he ever caused butterflies?”
    I paused to think about it. “No, I guess not.”
    “Do you ever feel so turned on by him that you feel like you’d rip your clothes off in the middle of a subway system if you couldn’t have him right then and there?”
    I giggled then hiccupped. “No, of course not. You know I’d never get naked in front of people.”
    That earned me a sarcastic glare. “You know what I mean.”
    “Yeah, okay, but no. It’s never been that intense with him before.”
    She looked at me very seriously now before asking the next question. “Do you ever just miss him so much that if he’s not in the same room with you, you feel like you can’t breathe?”
    “Syd, come on.” I rolled my eyes.
    “I’m serious, Chandler. Answer the question.”
    I looked down at my hands and picked at my nails. “No.” I was getting upset that she was even questioning the validity of my relationship with Seth. She knew we were good together. She loved and adored him just as much as everyone around us did. So why was she acting this way? “This isn’t a fucking movie. Love like that only exists in fairy tales, Sydney. I’d be a fool to think that shit was even real.”
    She looked at me sadly, and for the first time in our friendship, I hated her for that sadness. “I just want you to think about this. We know that he’s going to propose any day now, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to settle just because he can take care of you. Chandler, you are more than capable of taking care of yourself. You’re financially set for the rest of your life, you have friends and family who love you and would do anything for you, and you know that you are never alone. If Seth is the one for you, and you know this without a shadow of a doubt,” she extended her hand out in front of herself, “then by all means, be with him. If he can make you happy, and you know that being with him forever is the right decision, then who am I to question it. I just want you to take some time and think about it before he’s standing in front of you, and an answer will be expected.”
    I knew what she was saying, I really did. But I was also very intoxicated at the moment, and my eyelids were heavy. Now wasn’t exactly the best time to have this conversation. And certainly not while I was sitting on the toilet with my panties around my ankles.
    I nodded at her. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”
    She bent down and kissed my forehead. “I love you, Chandler. Everyone does.”
    “I know.”
    Waking up, I glanced at the clock and saw that I’d been asleep for almost two hours. Rubbing my eyes, it hit me like a wave crashing into jagged rocks. Dawson and I fought. Sadness rolled through me all over again. I knew I’d have to leave my room at some point, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face him just yet. He was so . . . mean. Like ruthlessly mean with his words. Already feeling beat down from my dreams, I didn’t think I’d be able to take another hit today without having a total meltdown. If anything, I could go grab a glass of water, see where he was in the house, and hightail it back to my room if he still seemed crabby.
    Getting up, I quietly tiptoed through the house and into the living room. He was sitting on the couch with his phone. Briefly, I wondered if he was talking to whoever it was who he was with last night. You have no claim to him, I reminded myself. At first, he didn’t appear to see me when I opened the cupboard and lifted the handle to the sink. I was watching him out of the corner of my eye. He was furiously tapping