Page 24 of Against The Boards

I rolled my eyes at her, and I heard her tiny giggle from the speakers of my computer.

I opened up my suitcase and pulled out a floral print maxi dress. “What about this?”

She cocked her head to the side, debating the choices.

“The red one,” a deep voice said from behind me, and I nearly jumped. Benny was standing in the hallway. He had a bag over his shoulder and was wearing his signature leather jacket. He had a guilty look on his face when he saw my reaction, and he ran a hand through his hair nervously. “You look good in red.”

Before I could utter a reply, he went into his room and shut the door.

“Oh my God, girl. I can see the sexual tension through the screen,” Natalie quipped.

I hushed her and shut the door to Tristan’s room. “Hard pass.”

Natalie smiled. “Put the dress on, and let’s see if he’s right. Plus, if you already kissed him, it seems like you didn’t take a pass.”

I grumbled.

She arched an eyebrow. “Was it more than a kiss? Tell me what happened!”

I balled my hands into fists. “Nothing. We got into an argument and kissed. He stopped it before it could go further, and I haven’t seen him in a couple of days.”

She waved a hand in front of her face, fanning herself. “Oh, my God. You need to cancel your date and climb that mountain of a man instead.”

“HARD. PASS!”

She giggled, and I felt my face getting hot just thinking about it. “The lady doth protest too much.”

I glared back at her.

I slid into the dress and tied it around myself. Shit, my tits were out. No wonder Benny picked this dress.

“Shit, you look HOOOOOT. You should wear red lipstick, not the usual plum you wear. And what shoes are you gonna wear?”

I held up the black wedge heels I was planning to wear, and she nodded her head in agreement. “Thanks, Nat. I don’t have a lot of friends here yet, and you know—”

“Your ex is a dick,” she interjected. “Just so you know, Lisa told everyone you cheated on her. I’m glad you got out of here; it’s a sign that Philly’s the place for you.”

I sighed heavily. I didn’t think Nat was that close with me, but her saying that made me feel emotional.

“Oh, sweetie, don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry! I swear Tristan’s so dead inside because I absorbed all the feelings in the womb.”

She cackled at that. “You might be right. Although…” She trailed off and had a guilty look on her face.

“It’s in the past,” I said.

Nat was rather cruel to Tristan in high school, but she had been going through some shit back then. It took a while for me to forgive her for how she hurt him, but eventually, I did. I think he did too, but she was probably why he was such a commitment-phobe.

“You look happy, though, so go enjoy your date. Get some!”

“I’m trying to.”

She rolled her eyes. “Love you, sweetie. Text me if you go home with this guy, okay?”

I nodded. “Yes, Mom.”

We ended the call so I could finish getting ready. I did my make-up and hair and put on a black blazer over the dress because it was only May and still a little chilly outside. Benny was in the living room watching the playoffs. When I called out goodbye, he didn’t respond. I was pretty sure he hadn’t even seen me leave.