“That is so not true!” Cara laughed, and all eyes at the table turned to her. What did she mean by that?
“Are you joking? I write and hang out with you or Milo. That’s literally all I do!” Blair smiled, and it felt good to see her interacting with her friend.
“That’s not all you do, but you still won’t tell me about it.” Cara smirked, but I could see the hurt laced in between her words.
I really wished Blair would slip up and say something. Holding all of this in was driving me crazy.
The whole table showed a wide variety of emotions. Fallon furrowed her brows in confusion, Mackenzie quirked an eyebrow, I tried to show no emotion, and Blair looked as if she would cry at any second. I hated that look Cara forced Blair to paint on; I hated not being able to wash it away.
“What does that mean?” Mackenzie pressed. I was sure I didn’t want to know.
“I went to check on her the other day, you know, after the bad storm? But it seems I wasn’t the only one. When I got there, she looked like she had just finished… entertaining company. She still refuses to tell me who was in there.”
“Really? How very interesting.” Mackenzie looked at me, and all I could do was look away. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of giving a reaction.
“Why are you talking about me like I’m not sitting right here?” Blair scowled at Cara, and I hoped things weren’t going to escalate.
“Why are you still hiding it from me?” Cara smirked, and I sagged in relief.
“Do we really have to do this right now? I already told you it wasn’t a big deal. If it was important enough, I would have told you about it, Cara.” She took a sip of her drink and gave me an apologetic look. I knew she didn’t mean anything by it, but her words still hurt.
“Maybe we should get the check? The movie will be starting pretty soon.” I finally took over the conversation. I had to get some fresh air, and I knew Blair did too.
Once I paid our tab, with only little resistance from everyone, we headed to the rooftop. On the way out, I sent Blair a text:
Me: You look absolutely gorgeous tonight. How are you doing? I’m sorry about Cara’s comment.
Blair turned back to me after she pulled her phone out of her purse. I sent her an innocent smile.
Blair: Thank you! You don’t look so bad yourself. I’m sorry about what I said. I wanted her to let it go. I hope you know I didn’t mean it.
Me: It’s all right. I know you didn’t, and it seemed to have worked.
“It feels so crazy being back here.” I was just about to send another text to Blair when Fallon’s voice stopped me.
We had made it to our seats and were settling in. Fallon and Mackenzie sat next to each other, obviously, with Cara following next to them, leaving Kaia, Blair, and me on the edge. Luck must have not been on my side, because Kaia scooted in next to Cara, leaving the last two seats for Blair and me. This was going to be a long night.
Mackenzie looked down at us and smirked. I swore she was onto us. I had to be very careful around her. “It’s wild to think the last time we were here, I was desperately trying to get Fallon to forgive me, and Skylar was trying to get you to move to New York with her. Crazy, isn’t it?”
I glared at her but softened at the lookFallon was giving her fiancée. I bit out a quick, “Yes,” and hoped she would drop it.
Luckily my phone chimed with a text, and I was grateful for the distraction. I silenced it before checking it:
Blair: They are so cute! Also, I’m sorry she brought up your ex. For what it’s worth, I’m glad you didn’t go to New York.
I risked a casual glance at Blair and chuckled softly at her flushed cheeks.
Me: They make me sick! But I love them, anyway. And I am too.
As soon as the movie started playing and it got darker, I took a chance. I glanced at Fallon and Mackenzie, who were wrapped in each other’s arms. Cara and Kaia were watching the movie, and the coast seemed to be clear. I slowly moved to interlace my fingers with Blair’s, and my heart calmed when she accepted the contact. I kept glancing at everyone to make sure they weren’t looking at us. Thankfully they never looked over.
I was so nervous about getting caught, but I needed her touch to calm me. I kept rubbing her hand with my thumb and I loved the way it felt. I loved feeling any part of her, and I wanted her to feel comforted by the motion.
After several minutes of holding her hand, I gently squeezed it three times, hoping she would pick up on the three words I didn’t have the courage to say. I wanted to convey my feelings in that one small gesture.
About halfway through the movie, Blair tapped my shoulder. “I’m going to the restroom. Will you let them know?”
“Of course. Do you want me to go with you?” I smiled hopefully.
