Melt With Me: A With Me In Seattle Universe Novel

by Melissa Brown

  “Yeah.”

  “And what is your gut saying now?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Give it some time. You’ll know what to do soon. Until then, stop holding candles if you’re going to space out in the middle of the store.”

  “Yes, Boss.”

  “Ugh, you’re such a pain. Okay, I have to go. Will you be okay?”

  “Of course. Cheryl will be here any minute, no worries. Have a good class.”

  “Thanks, girl. Make some candles when she gets here. That always helps you clear your head.”

  “Good idea,” I agreed, bringing the dustpan, broom, and garbage can back to the register area.

  “Hiya,” Cheryl said, walking in from the back door. “How’s it going?”

  “Slooooooooow,” I said dramatically. “Only three customers all day. One sale. Very exciting stuff.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  “Listen, I’m going to heat up the wax and pour a few scents. Can you hold down the fort out here?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

  “Great.”

  Better Than Ezra blasted from my phone as I blended the lilacs fragrance oil with the lemon curd fragrance oil in the pot. My spatula made a loud clang against the metal as I stirred the oils together into the wax. My mask a la Breaking Bad was planted on my head, and my hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. I was present, I was focused, and I was in the zone. Once I’d poured a couple dozen candles, there was a knock at the workshop door.

  I lifted my mask so she could hear me. “Come in, Cheryl!”

  Black hair revealed itself as the door creaked open.

  That wasn’t Cheryl.

  “Dev, what’s up? What are you doing here?”

  “Sorry to bug ya. Wow, you’ve got quite the enterprise here. I’m impressed,” he said as he took in the sight of my workshop. “The smell’s a little…strong. But great. I mean it smells awesome.”

  “It’s okay. I know it can be overwhelming. Sorry about that.”

  “Look, is there somewhere we can go for, like, ten minutes. I need to talk to you.” The usually carefree-and-casual Dev now seemed sober…humorless. Something was up.

  “Sure, I’ll just turn down the wax.” I turned the dial down so the wax wouldn’t cool completely but also wouldn’t start to overheat. “There’s a little coffee shop across the street. Would that work.”

  “Sure, yeah, whatever is fine.” He was bouncing on the balls of his feet. And instantly, I thought of Trupti. Maybe she broke his heart again and he needed to talk to one of the few people who knew they were seeing each other again.

  “You okay?” I asked, feeling pensive and already prepping myself for what I should say to comfort someone with a broken heart when mine still felt raw inside my chest.

  It’s like the blind leading the blind.

  “Nah, not really, but let’s get outta here. I’ll buy you a coffee and then we can talk about it.”

  “All right,” I said with a nod, throwing my mask on the nearest table and following Dev out the back door into the fresh spring air.

  “Ahh, it’s gorgeous today.”

  Dev shook his head and shoulders a bit. “No offense, but thank God for fresh air.”

  “None taken,” I said with a laugh.

  We walked in silence to the coffee shop called Beans across the way. No matter the time of day, this place was always bustling with customers getting their caffeine or sugar fix. I inhaled deeply as we stepped to the counter.

  “Get anything you want,” Dev said as he pulled cash from his wallet. “My treat.”

  “Well, in that case,” I said with a wink. “I’ll get a large iced chai tea and a banana.”

  “Wow, big spender,” Dev teased, but his tone was curt. This wasn’t the Dev I was used to. Trupti must have really done a number on him.

  “You got it.” The barista typed my order into the register. “And for you, sir?”

  “Yeah, just give me an espresso. The biggest one you got.”

  Uh-oh.

  Moments later, we had our drinks and had found a quiet table in the back of the coffee shop. No sooner had my bottom touched the wood of the chair that Dev began.

  “You’re really on my shit list.”

  I choked on my first sip of tea. I coughed a few times, pressing my hand to my chest. “I’m sorry?”

  He nodded, his face cold as stone. “You heard me.”

  “Dev, what’s going on?”

  “You destroyed my friend. Like, pulverized him, Maren. And I’m pissed.”

  “I don’t know what to say. I never wanted to hurt him…and I’m hurting too.”

  “Look, he was a dumbass, all right? He couldn’t see Cara for the snake that she is. I can. I always could, but Pete…he’s not like that. And he gave her way too many chances, and I can see how that would piss you off and even make you doubt him. But Maren…you really screwed up.”

  I took another sip of my tea, hoping to be comforted by the cinnamon. But it was tasteless in my mouth. My pain was bubbling to the surface and nothing could overtake it.

  “What was I supposed to do? Everywhere I turned, there she was. I mean, isn’t is possible that they had something going on the side?”

  He puckered his lips in annoyance. “You’re joking, right? Is that what this is about? You honestly think he cheated?”

  “I don’t want to feel like a fool. If I go back to him…and months from now, I catch them together, I will lose my shit, Dev.”

  “That would never happen.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I know Peter. And I know Cara. You let her beat you, my friend. Checkmate.”

  “What?” I asked, half in anticipation, half in dread.

  “She outwitted you. She figured out how to get under your skin, and you let her do it. Why?”

  “I…I don’t know.”

  “Look, you’re one of the few people who knows I’m back with Trup. So, I’m gonna tell you what I’ve learned this second time around.”

  “All right.”

  “I let that girl have all the power in our relationship. For years, I let her run the show. She called the shots, and I did whatever I could just to make her happy.”

  “Are you saying that’s what I did to Peter?” My tone was incredulous. I never thought of myself as running the show with him.

  “No, that’s what you let Cara do to you.”

  I hesitated, blinking in bafflement. “Wait, what? I don’t understand…like, at all.”

  “Let me finish. Okay, so this time around, I’m not letting Trupti have the power. I think for myself, I put up boundaries, I let her know when she’s out of line and pissing me off. And you know what? Things are good… In fact, they’re better than good. They’re out-of-control hot.”

  “I still don’t see how this relates to me and…Cara.”

  “I let Trup have all the power. And she controlled our relationship. Why did you let Cara have the power in your relationship? You let her call the shots with every single manipulation she threw your way. Peter didn’t know what the hell was going on—and believe me, I’m dealing with him on that. But you…you’re a smart girl, Maren. I’ve always known that about you. You should have seen her coming. And for the love of God, you shouldn’t have let her have the power.”

  “Oh,” I said, feeling my stomach twist. I placed a hand on my belly, to steady myself.

  “And if you won’t believe him, maybe you’ll believe me. Peter called me from San Francisco…a couple times, actually. He was pretty toasty, so he had some major verbal diarrhea going on. He shouldn’t have let her sit next to him, I get that. But he was never even thinking of her like that. He hasn’t since he met you. Their little ‘arrangement’ or whatever was over the moment he laid eyes on you, Maren.”

  I closed my eyes; my chest felt like it might burst. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Well, I’m not done yet, s
o don’t say anything.” He downed the rest of his espresso and slammed the ceramic cup on the table.

  “Last week, Peter put his fucking heart on a platter for you, and you turned him down. Why? Have you moved on? Because if you have, that’s fine… I’ll leave you alone, and my boy will just have to get over you.”

  “I don’t want him to get over me,” I whispered in a small voice, my heart climbing to my sleeve. “I love him.”

  “Then why the hell did you break his damn heart all over again? I can’t even tell you what a mess he was when he came back to my place. I’m sure he’d be fucking pissed if he knew I was telling you this. But I can’t stand it, Maren. I’ve never seen my boy like that. Not ever. And I’ve known him a very long time.”

  “I’m not sure what to do… That night I panicked. I didn’t know what to say, and I was just so terrified of getting hurt again. I’ve never felt like this before, and it’s really scary. I didn’t know I could love someone as much as I love Peter. And now he hasn’t texted since he went back to Japan.”

  “Can you blame him? He’s a mess. And you basically dumped him twice.”

  I shifted in my seat, feeling uncomfortable. “That’s not true. I just didn’t get back together with him.”

  Dev put his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together and tilting his head to the side. “You really want to split hairs with me?”

  “No.”

  “The fact is, you turned him down and sent him on a nine-hour flight back to Japan to do nothing but think about you and all the ways he messed up. And yeah, I know he messed up. He should’ve told Cara to pound sand a long time ago. But when you break it down, he was just being a nice guy, not wanting to hurt someone who used to be a big part of his life. Can you fault the guy for that?”

  “So…you’re saying I broke up with him for being too nice?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Maybe you guys need to lay out ground rules, establish boundaries. Tell each other exactly what’s gonna piss you off. And for you, it’s other people trying to mark their territory when really he belongs to you.”

  “Does he have other women in his life like Cara?” The thought made my stomach churn. Awkwardly, I cleared my throat and took another sip of my tea.

  “I mean, I don’t think so. But hell, someone from work might start sniffing around. And you need to be ready for it…and you can’t throw him under the bus because another girl is trying to challenge you to steal your man. Fight for what you want, Maren. Stop giving other people the power over your relationship.”

  I paused, knowing he was a hundred percent right about everything. He’d sized up my entire relationship in just a matter of minutes. I was in awe of him.

  “What do you do for a living, Dev?”

  “Huh?”

  “I just realized I have no idea. Are you a psychiatrist or something?”

  He clapped his hands and threw his head back in a hearty laugh. “You think I’m a shrink? Oh man, that’s a good one. No, far from it. I’m just a guy who’s had my heart shredded up to a point where I never thought I could be happy again. And I see myself in you.”

  “Wow.”

  “And to answer your question, I’m a computer and information systems manager.”

  My mouth dropped. “I have absolutely no idea what that is.”

  He smiled, a dimple forming in his cheek. “That’s all right; no one does. But I love it, and I’m good at it. And I have zero interest in becoming a shrink. Just talking about all this shit is gonna give me hives or something. But Peter’s my boy, and I’d do anything for him. And you’ve grown on me, girl. You really have, and I wanted to stop you from making the same mistakes I did.”

  “Thank you. Lyra’s been trying to knock sense into me for days, and I just didn’t want to hear it. But deep down I knew I messed up when I shot him down. I panicked and completely shut down. I thought he could see right through me, but I guess not.”

  “No, he definitely didn’t. He came back to my place thinking it was a hundred percent over. Finished. Finito.”

  “But it’s not.”

  Dev crossed his arms and frowned. “Speaking of Lyra, how is the mistress of evil doing?”

  “Careful, she’s my best friend.”

  “Yeah, she’s also a massive piece of work.”

  “Can we stay focused please? Now that you’ve made everything so clear, what the hell am I going to do about it? He won’t be home for over a month! What if he meets someone over there and falls in love? Like Ross on Friends? Rachel goes to the airport and feels like an idiot when she sees him get off the plane with Julie.”

  “Okay, well, A) You can’t pick people up at the gate anymore and B) if you paid any attention at all, you’d know that Ross ends up with Rachel. He was always going to end up with Rachel. Julie was just a distraction.”

  “You’re very wise, Dev, soulful even. Why don’t you let people see this side of you?”

  “They see it when they need to.”

  “I’m not sure how I can ever thank you for this. You’ve opened my eyes.”

  “Go get him.”

  “What?”

  “Go to Japan… I’ve got plenty of miles. I’ll fly you there myself.”

  “Wow, that’s a generous offer. Can I go to Japan? Really? Like, can I do this? Can I leave my business behind?”

  “I mean, it’s not your busy season, right?”

  “Yeah, the shop is super slow. And I trust my employees. Lyra knows that show forward and backward, but she’s crazy busy with school. I can’t lay this on her.”

  Dev rolled his eyes. “Aw, c’mon. If she’s a good friend, she’ll have your back.”

  “I’m gonna call her. She should be out of class by now.”

  “All right, I’ll find you a flight.”

  “No, wait. As generous as your offer is, I want to pay for my ticket.”

  “Don’t be silly, I’m offering you a free ticket. You say yes, Maren.”

  “This is something I need to do. For Peter.”

  A peaceful smile crossed his lips. And it was in that moment that Dev and I both knew everything was going to be okay. I was going to fly across the ocean and get my man back. Butterflies swarmed my belly with thoughts of seeing Peter, of kissing him and professing my love.

  I just had to make sure my store would be okay while I was gone.

  “Excuse me, I’m gonna call Lyra, make sure I can do this.”

  “By all means.” He leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg so that his ankle rested on his other knee. “Do me a favor, though, don’t mention me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’ll tarnish things for you, trust me. Our disdain for each other is entirely mutual.”

  I rolled my eyes at Dev, grabbed my phone and walked away from the table. She answered immediately.

  “What’s up?”

  “So…I know this is crazy, but if I went to Japan today, would you be okay? I mean, the store…would the store be okay? Can I leave you in charge? I know you’re super busy with school, and I just don’t want to overload you.”

  “Whoa, slow down! You’re going to Japan?”

  “I’m going to get Peter back. I mean, I want to…but I need to make sure the store will be okay.”

  “Girl, get your ass on a plane right now. I’ve got you.”

  “Are you sure? This is a big ask.”

  Her tone was soft and nurturing. “And it’s one I fully support. God, I’ve been hoping you would do something like this. He’s the one, Mare.”

  “I know he is.”

  “The Lit Wick will be just fine. I’ll call in the troops, circle the wagons, whatever. Just get a bag packed and get your ass to the airport.”

  “Okay, I will.” Adrenaline coursed through every inch of my body. My fingers trembled as I held the phone to my ear. “And thank you. I’ll only stay a few days.”

  “Are you kidding? You two won’t leave his bedroom for a few days.” She laughed. �
�Stay as long as you need. I’ll handle it.”

  “You’re the best. Thank you.”

  “Hey, what sparked this sudden romantic gesture? I mean, it’s awesome and I love it, but earlier you seemed far from it.”

  I remembered Dev’s request to be left out of the equation. So, I kept my answer vague, knowing I could be more specific later. “A wise voice just spoke to me, I guess.”

  “Well, whatever it was, I’m thrilled for you. Go get him, girl!”

  Fourteen hours later, I walked off the airplane, my muscles stiff and my head slightly groggy. The moment I left the gate, however, my senses awakened with the hustle and the bustle, the sights and the smells of Tokyo International Airport. I was relieved that almost all signs were in English as well as Japanese, so it was easy for me to know exactly where to go. It was the cleanest airport I’d ever seen, and everyone was friendly, including a very sweet young woman at a service desk who told me about all the ways I could get to downtown Tokyo from the airport.

  I opted for the Keikyu Line train, knowing that Japan was famous for their quick, efficient trains. It was late Sunday afternoon, and I could only hope that Peter would be at his apartment and not on a weekend jaunt to another are of Japan. That would be pretty inconvenient if I showed up at his place only to find an empty apartment.

  You can’t think like that, Maren.

  The train station felt like wall to wall people. Feeling slightly overwhelmed, I just looked for every sign that I could. A very nice employee smiled at me. “American?”

  “Yes, sir,” I said, bowing to show respect and he followed suit with a gentle smile. “I’m looking for Keikyu Line. Would you be so kind?”

  “Of course. I love practicing my English. You’re in the right place. Just stand over there, and it’ll be here in three or four minutes.”

  “Thank—I mean, Duomo arigatou gozaimasu.”

  He lit up and smiled. “You’re very welcome.”

  Minutes later, I was seated on the quiet and graceful train. It was incredibly fast and, since I was lucky enough to get a window seat, I spent my ride watching this beautiful country glide by as excitement built within me. I wanted to find the perfect way to reach out to Peter. Just showing up at his place didn’t feel like enough.