We left the club and went back to Oasis Springs to grab a bite before returning home, and Sophia was eerily quiet the entire way there. She didn’t sigh or anything. Her clacking boots were my only company, and it made me worried. Officially ending things with Yasmine was the right thing, but somehow I managed to upset Sophia, too. I had to find out what went on in her head, but gently, so I let the silence linger until after the server left.
“Heeeey,” the server said hesitantly, “you’re that yoga guy!”
“Uhh, hi. Have you been to one of my classes?”
“Me? Watcher no! I saw you on SimTube. You’re even cuter in person!”
I took a quick peek at Sophia to check her mood. Too bad she had a killer poker face. I couldn’t tell if she was genuinely amused or plotting my death.
“Umm…thanks. Can I get a cheeseburger and whatever the drink special is?”
She took our orders and left us to suffer through the awkward wait.
“Okay,” I began. “I sense you are mad at me…”
Sophia shook her head.
“I’m just processing, Luca.”
“Okay…”
“I’m surprised, and a little blindsided, but…should I be mad, though? Because, frankly, I didn’t know there was anything to be mad about.”
This was totally new to me, and I had no idea what to do. I felt like she was being real and looking for answers. On the flip side, it felt like a trap and I had to tread lightly.
“I don’t think you should be mad.”
“Please explain. This situation is triggering.”
UGH! I was such an idiot. I thought I did what Dad suggested, making sure everyone understood the casual dating situation. But not only did I fail to tell them about each other, I was so in my head about falling in love with Sophia, I didn’t tell her anything, and now she thinks I’m just like her douche bag cheating ex.
“I’m so sorry, Sophia. I didn’t realize I created such a mess. Nothing is going on between me and her. I swear!”
“I know that, sweetie. I know you, and you wouldn’t do that to me. But… I guess I’m just surprised that… I had no idea you were seeing other women.”
“Yeah. I realize that now, and I’m sorry. So, like… You know about what I’ve been going through. I’ve wanted to be with you ever since our Social Bunny days. You were so easy to talk to, and I felt safe with you. I was so confident there was no one else like you, and that scared me. I didn’t trust that the first woman who paid attention to me could be the one. It seemed too easy and felt like a trap, given what I know about my parents. I had to be sure, so I tried to date other women. Not because I wanted to find someone else, but because I didn’t want to make a mistake…like my parents.”
“That makes so much sense,” she said.
“What does?”
“Why we didn’t hang out more after the first time.”
“Oh. Yeah.”
“I understand what you’re saying, Luca. We weren’t in a relationship, and you were free to be with whomever you wanted. But there’s a small part of me that feels a little betrayed, like you were hiding these women from me.”
“I understand. Just to set the record straight, I wasn’t hiding them. At least, not intentionally. I didn’t know if I needed to tell you.”
“Just for my own sanity…are we going to run into anyone else you’ve been avoiding?”
“No. Yasmine was the only one I actually dated. My neighbor in San Sequoia was interested, but I never felt right about asking her out. I consider us friends, so I think she’ll be happy for me when I tell her.”
“Alright. Anyone else?”
“No. Well, I have another friend…Maira. She’s one of my best friends, actually. I was open to dating her because we got on well and she was a good sim, but our friendship just never went that way. I actually told her about you before I asked you out, and she wants to meet you.”
After Maira and I had that conversation, I had to reckon with my feelings and name them so I could deal with them properly. Since then, I discovered a distinction between loving someone and being in love. Love wasn’t always romantic. I loved my parents; I loved my sister; and I loved Maira. Having love for her didn’t mean I wanted to threaten my relationship with Sophia. It just meant I cared for her deeply and would always be there for her…as a friend. End of story.
“Her last name wouldn’t happen to be Watson, would it?”
“You know her?”
“Not really, but her sister, Rashidah, is my best friend!”
“No kidding! Small world.”
“Yeah… I do think it’s kinda weird your best friend is a woman, but if she’s important to you, I want to meet her too.”
“To be fair, my sister is my best friend, but I get it. I would love to have more males in my life, but I honestly haven’t met any guys I really click with.”
She covered her mouth, trying to straighten her face, but her cute little laugh broke through anyway.
“Uh oh,” I said. “What now?”
“You’re a ladies’ man, Luca!”
“Why would you say that?”
I knew she was joking, and what she meant, but it still triggered me. If there was one thing I absolutely did not want to be, it was a ladies’ man. I always thought of myself as a one-woman man. But here I was, having this awkward conversation after hurting not one but two women. That didn’t make me a ladies’ man, but I never wanted that kind of complication in my life.
“I’m sorry! I was just kidding, baby. Seriously, I don’t mean it.”
“I know. Look, I’m really sorry for making you feel insecure. All of this is new to me, and I didn’t know what I was doing. But I’m really glad how it all turned out. I’m with you now, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted. Even when I was with her. Are we cool?”
“Of course, babe. This isn’t big enough to break us. Just a minor hiccup.”
“Okay. I love you, Sophia.”
