Love Is Black And White

23. The White Flag

The little ball went up and down, hit the ceiling and came back into my hands, and then hit the ceiling again. Dave, sitting next to me on the couch, threw the ball again.

"So she wants to publish the other book?" Dave asked, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the ball to fall.

Also focused on the ceiling, I replied, "Yep."

He threw the ball. "And Emma was the one who sent it?"

"Yep."

"This is crazy." He commented. "And now what? What are you gonna do?

I took a deep breath before throwing the ball again, "I don't know."

Dave gave me a quick look. "Do you want it to get published?"

"Yes..." I frowned. "And no. I mean, it will change everything. I'm not sure I'm ready for this."

"You've kept it a secret for too many years." Dave said to me. "What are you waiting for?"

I thought for a while, "I'm waiting for the right time."

"Oh, please." He rolled his eyes. "This is just an excuse because you're afraid."

"What? I'm not afraid." With a resentful smile, I defended myself.

Dave held the ball in his hands and looked at me seriously, "Leon, that book is like a fucking autobiography." He spoke with conviction, "I feel like I know you better than you do, and you're terrified."

"I'm not. I'm just worried." I tried to speak with the same conviction as him. "What will Jade think when she finds out that I wrote an entire book about her? She may hate me!"

Dave raised his eyebrows, "I see, you're worried about what she's gonna think." He said and I nodded. "So let's ask her. Gimme your phone!" He completed and reached for my cell phone.

"What? No!" I took my cell phone away from him. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I won't ask directly." Dave insisted. "She won't even know the book is about her." He gestured with his hand, asking for my cell phone. "Come on, give me your phone!"

I frowned. "No."

"Unless you really are afraid." He said, eyebrows raised.

He was trying to manipulate me, and he knew how to do that. I hated being wrong, and in that situation, I was totally wrong. I was afraid. I was terrified. But I was too stubborn to admit it. So, I unlocked my cell phone and gave it to him.

With an ironic smile, Dave took my cell phone. "Thank you." He said and sat in the armchair.

I shook my head. "This is crazy."

"Shh!" Dave scolded me and put my cell phone on the coffee table.

I sat down on the couch and looked at the phone anxiously.

We heard three ringing tones before Jade's voice. "Hello?"

"Hi, Jade. It's Dave." He spoke, getting closer to the cell phone.

"Oh..." Jade sounded confused. "Hi... Dave?"

"Listen, I need some advice, and Leon said you could help me." Dave was gesturing as if Jade could see him.

"Um..." She was still confused. "Okay..."

Dave raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath. "You know I write novels. The thing is, I wrote a novel about a girl, about our story, and I think it may get published. But I can't stop thinking about how she's gonna feel about it, you know?" He frowned, focused on his own lie. "How would you feel?"