Read Online The Book of Love by Lynn Weingarten - Free Book Online

worse than what she was about to do?
    Four hours went to three went to two went to one. And then the school day was done and there was nothing left to do but call the poor boy and get this over with. She hit TALK .
    “Lucy!” Colin picked up after a single ring.
    “Hey,” Lucy said. She felt her throat starting to close, the words all stuck inside it. She couldn’t continue, but she didn’t have to because suddenly he was doing all the talking.
    “I was so, so happy to hear from you this morning,” he said. “I’ve been smiling all day. I was worried I’d scared you off by texting too much and seeming like a stalky weirdo—I’m usually really shy when it comes to girls. . . .” The words tumbled out in a jumble like he’d been rehearsing them. “The thing is, I just really like you, and I feel like we have some kind of weird special connection or something.” He paused for a moment. “I know that sounds crazy, or really stupid.” He continued more slowly. His voice was soft and low and when he wasn’t rushing, actually kind of sexy. Too bad it was entirely wasted on her. Someone else would like him. Lots of other someones would like him. She just needed to set him free. “Especially since we don’t even really know each other. I mean, for all I know, you could be the stalky weirdo. Ha! I’m just kidding. Sorry. I make weird jokes when I’m nervous, and I’m really nervous right now. I guess what I’m saying is, I . . .”
    This was too much. Lucy had to stop him. “Listen,” she said. “I feel like some ice cream. Do you want to take me out for ice cream?”
    “I would absolutely love to,” he said. He sounded thrilled. Lucy cringed. But she knew what she needed to do. And this time, nothing—not his sweet face, nor his kind eyes, nor the ball of guilt swirling in her stomach—was going to stop her.

Twelve

    T hirty minutes later, Lucy sat watching Colin’s back as he walked away. At the door he turned and gave her this sad little wave. Lucy waved back, then reached down for her tear-catcher necklace and squeezed. A tiny saltwater ocean was now trapped inside it.
    Thank goodness this was over.
    Thirty minutes before, he’d come bounding into Sundaes and Cones like a happy puppy and she still hadn’t had any idea what she was going to say to him or how she was going to do it. He’d sat down in front of her all wide-eyed and smiley and “So did you see the video everyone’s been posting . . . ?” and “Have you heard that new song . . . ?” as though he’d spent the entire afternoon coming up withconversation topics. And Lucy knew the time for careful planning had passed and she just needed to do it. The words were coming out of her mouth before she fully realized what was happening—“I’m sorry, Colin,” she’d said, “I just can’t do this. The you-and-me thing, I mean. I wish it didn’t have to be like this. I’m really, really, really sorry.”
    She didn’t even need Oscar Drops to make it sound sincere because what she said was true. She could not think of many times she’d been sorrier.
    Colin was silent for a while after that. He looked down and then finally whispered, “Wow.” A tiny tear quivered in the corner of his eye. “I was not expecting that,” he said. He tried to smile and another tear collected.
    Lucy said nothing. She felt a wave of embarrassment on his behalf, knowing it must be killing him to cry in front of her. But then she forced herself to take the final step—she reached out to brush that tear off his cheek. The Empathy Cream she’d smoothed into her palm confirmed the truth of his broken heart.
    She quickly unscrewed her tear-catcher necklace and deposited the tiny droplet inside. She felt something then, in her chest, in her heart: an odd spreading coldness like she’d swallowed a too-big lump of ice cream, even though the sundae Colin had insisted on buying lay untouched between them. The coldness faded then, and a rush of energy went