She leans across the table and speaks in a hushed voice. “I’ll tell you from experience, dating a million other dudes to forget about him isn’t going to work, not after all this time… he’s embedded too deeply to be pushed out of your heart with only the force of another man’s penis.”
“Ew!”
“Thereisa way to get over him.” Her head tilts as she stares at me, a contemplative expression on her face. “But you won’t like it.”
“How do you know?”
She gives me the look — the one that sayshoney, I’ve known you most of your life. I know you better than you know yourself.
I sigh deeply. “Just tell me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Lila.”
“Fine! But don’t bite my head off.” She tries — and fails — to hide a smile. “You won’t get over him until you’ve taken him for a spin.”
“What do you mean?”
She glances up at the ceiling, as if seeking guidance. “God, it’s like talking to Rory Gilmore, seasonone. Except she had more sense when it came to boys.“
“Lila.”
Meeting my eyes again, she grins. “Sometimes, the best way to get over someone emotionally is to get under them.” She pauses a beat. “Physically.”
“Nakedly?” I squeak.
She laughs. “All I’m saying is… give that bike a ride around the blockonceand you’ll realize it’s not all that special. There are plenty of other bikes in the shop with cushier seats, and better bells and whistles. Some of them have seven speeds and when those gears click into place….Damn, it’s the best ride of your life, if you know what I mean.”
I stare at her blankly. “I have absolutely no idea what you mean.”
“Sex, Phoebe. I’m talking aboutsex.”
My mouth drops open. “You think if Isleep with him, it’ll be easier to forget about him?”
“That’s exactly what I just said.”
“Actually, you gave me a very convoluted metaphor about bicycles and—”
“Phoebe!” She cuts me off. “Just trust me. Guys like Knox… it’s all about the allure. The initial attraction. Once that wears off… you’ll realize it was nothing but infatuation.Lust, not love.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Well, you’ve tried everything else — including pretending he didn’t exist for ten years — and none of it has ever worked. You’re still as bonkers for him as you were that time in seventh grade when you walked in on him buck naked in the pool house with his hands—”
“AH!” I cut her off. “You swore you’d never mention that! And I amnotbonkers for him. I hate him, remember?”
She snorts. “Riiiight.”
“Lila.”
“I don’t know why you’re giving me such a hard time. Of the two people at this table, I’m the only one with real, actual relationship experience.”
“One night stands with half the male population of Boston is certainlyexperience. But I don’t think it qualifies asrelationshipexperience.”
“Do you want my advice, or not?”
“Not really.”