Landon's phone rang later that night at around 9:30. * * * He came back with a roll of duct tape and a roll of scotch tape. "So ready."
It took him a moment to pick up, and he sighed before he did. "Hello?" *** "You're on your own with the tape."
Her voice was sharp and she skipped past any introduction. "You gave someone advice about how to woo me?" * * * "What? I thought we were a team!"
He frowned, wanting to hang up. "I just didn't want him to feel bad that you don't seem interested." *** "Tape is for nerds."1
"Maybe I'm not interested! Maybe I want to get this guy to leave me alone, and you just encouraged him to pursue a relationship!" * * * "Wow. Rude."
"Then don't go on dates if your not interested. Don't give them your number and lead them on, only to figure that you two are too different." His voice was harsh. "Is that all you called for?" *** "Nerd."
"I was interviewing him for the story! He asked for my number and I gave it to him because I thought he wanted it so that he could tell me more information if he thought of it!" He would be able to imagine her posture, tense and stern, and she would be pacing, like a tiger in a cage. "Don't you dare act like I'm cruel because we didn't work out. That's not fair, and you know it isn't." * * * "Cal, you're being cruel."
He stood up suddenly. "You decided we were too different!" There was an anger in his voice she never would have heard before. "You didn't even think of a second chance because it probably watsed too much of your precious time! You know, I want something outside of work. Not just constant going. Now it's just all about it." *** She took some tape. "..Fine."
“I loved you,” she replied hotly, her voice sharp. “I had to make a decision that you didn’t want to consider, but I loved you. That doesn’t change the fact that we were drawn together only because we felt like it was the only solution to a problem. We are exact opposites and we were fools to ever think that something might click.” *** “Woo! This is gonna be great.”
"If you loved me like you say you did we would have clicked," his voice cracked noticeably, but he quickly cleared it. "If you loved me then you wouldn't have hurt me as much as you now." He took a breath. "I don't feel like you loved me." *** "With tape."
Her voice was furious at this point. “That’s bull*squee!*. In a relationship, you need something more than just love and you know that. If the only thing you have in common is your affection for each other, then you’re destined to be miserable. You are just pissed that I decided to make the adult decision and end it.” *** “Yes. Tape.”
"Oh, really? Are you sure you didn't end it because we decided to get married on a dare like you said? Or maybe when I said I loved you more than anything scared you?" *** "Alright.."
There was a brief moment of hesitance in her voice before she spoke. “There were many factors,” she replied sharply, “but I loved you. I wouldn’t have left you if I felt like there was any hope for us.” *** “You seem determined not to own the tape.”
She still seemed angry on her end. “Please don’t give any other people advice about dating me. It obviously didn’t work.”
"It's not like you were going to date him anyways. You only wanted to talk to him because his soulmate is dead." *** "Tape is for nerds."
“And giving him dating advice for someone who isn’t interested is going to help that?” *** He smirked and began to unwind a lot of duct tape.
