The Entertainer II

"I have tried calling you for days!" moaned Halo, dragging out the last word.

"It couldn't have been days," I argued, "you were at your mom's until Sunday. This is only Wednesday."

"Yeah huh!" she spat back. "I called twice Monday, and the line was busy. Then again Tuesday and it just rang and rang. And then now. That's three days!"

I had to laugh as I kicked my feet up on the sofa and laid back. "Well, I'm here now, so let's talk. How was Thanksgiving?"

"No no no. You're not getting off that easily. Something's up with you. What happened?"

"How do you know something happened?"

"Sky, I have been your best friend since forever. If your line is busy twice in one night, and it's not 'cause you're talking to me, that means you're on the phone with a guy."

I giggled. "Okay. You got me there."

"Who is it? Tell me!"

"Well...it's someone you know...but haven't seen in a long time."

"Oh God, not Alan!"

"No," I sighed. "Not Alan." Why did everyone think I'd get back with my ex?

"Who?" Halo gasped. "Is it that photographer?"

"What photographer?"

"The one we met that night at the gallery who said you had great legs."

"Eww, no!" I cringed. "He was gross!"

"I thought he was kinda cute."

I rolled my eyes. Halo always had a soft spot for men who gave compliments and bought drinks.

"Let's steer away from that...further back...like five years ago."

"Okay, okay," said Halo. "Five years ago...oh my God, Harry?"

"Bingo."

"Sky, are you serious? You saw Harry? Holy shit, tell me everything! Or, wait...should I come over? Does this have a sad ending?"

"It...doesn't have an ending. Yet."

I spent the next hour filling Halo in on my encounter with Harry, our evening out, followed by a brief synopsis of our weekend together. I finished with a simple description of the previous evening and his confession.

"Oh, Sky! He loves you! He's loved you all along!"

"I don't know about that."

"But that's what he said, pretty much."

"Well, there's more to it than that."

"Okay, but he has feelings for you. He's never let that go. And it sounds like he wants to try to make it right."

"Yeah," I sighed.

"How do you feel?" my best friend asked.

"I'm a little scared, Halo. I mean...I never stopped loving him. But...you saw me. You were here to pick up the pieces."

"God, was I ever," Halo mumbled.

"Please don't let me go through that again."

"I won't. We'll make sure he's in it for real, okay? But...just from what you told me...it sounds like he is."

"He even wants me with him if he tours again."

"Okay..." said Halo. "There's a good way to test him. Is he leaving soon?"

"He hasn't said. The band broke up, but he and Mitch are working on a solo thing. He said he's just staying in LA for a while."

"Ah, Mitch," mused Halo. "I miss that doofus."