Page 60 of Vexatious Queen

“Do you think it’s really her?”

He sighed as I walked over and sat in the armchair across from him.

“I honestly don’t know. For your sake, I hope so. I’ve certainly seen crazier shit happen over the years.”

Wasn’t that the truth.

JANUARY 22 – THURSDAY 2:30 PM

Ren

I’d been arguing with, Lizzy, off and on all day about Rory. Well, it wasn’t really arguing. More like she was trying to convince me that I was losing my mind and she didn’t like him. She was kidding herself if that was what she genuinely thought.

We were two of the most stubborn people I knew, other than Nash, so our differences of opinion had been known to last days.

R: Don’t bother lying to me, I know you thought he was hot.

L: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

R: Girl, be real.

L: What? I had to go.

R: Lizzy…when Rory came over to the table, you short-circuited. I thought my laptop was buffering.

L: I did not.

R: This is me you’re talking to. Why are you trying to hide the truth?

L: I’m audibly sighing. Fine…I might have thought he was cute. But it was probably just the baby hormones. They are wicked and have me all over the place. I cried over a toilet paper commercial with puppies. Full on waterworks.

R: You would’ve cried at that before.

Smiling at my phone, I shook my head.

L: Bitch. Don’t call me out on my weirdness. You’re supposed to be my best friend and just agree with me.

R: I am, which is why I have carte blanche to say…you like him.

L: How can I like him when I don’t even know him? And I highly doubt he wants to have anything to do with me.

R: You don’t know that. Just because you’re having a baby, it doesn’t mean your life is over, or that you suddenly can’t notice a hot guy.

L: I know…it’s just that, I already feel like an idiot for getting into this situation and thinking about another guy right now…just…I don’t know. I guess I’m not ready to go there while dealing with all the other stuff, like school, my father, and the couple adopting the baby. It’s just a lot, and that’s before you add in the insane food cravings and mood swings. Do you know I can’t sleep on my back? I just can’t right now.

I sighed and tapped my pen on the desk.

R: Okay, I get it, but it’s fun to tease you, so I’m going to keep doing it.

L: LOL! I would expect nothing less from you. I love you, Boo. Seriously, you make me smile and laugh, and still feel normal, and now I’m crying again. I gotta go.

I snickered, and Blake looked over at me from the book he was reading.

“It’s Lizzy,” I said.

R: Love you. TTYL

Setting the phone aside, I turned to look at Blake. He glanced at me, and the tiniest of smiles tilted his mouth up.