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I pulled her against my shoulder, grateful my sweater was black. “Pearce doesn’t know what he’s saying. You’re going to be fine. You’ll be over him in no time.”
Candace wailed into my shoulder. “But I don’t want to be over him.”
“Shhh. Shhh. You’re going to be ok. We’ll get some ice cream and make it a girls’ night. Right, Nina?”
“You’ve got your date. You’re going to be late meeting Beau. I’ll stay with Candace. You go.”
Candace perked up. “Date? London, how did I not know you have a date? Oh yeah, I guess because I haven’t been here. I’ve spent the past few weeks with Pearce. A good friend would know you have a date.” She started crying again.
“It’s not a date. It’s a project for my Comm class. I can cancel it. This is more important.”
“I’ve been the worst roommate and the worst friend. I don’t know what’s going on with either of you. I haven’t done any of my work for the play.” She sniffed. “How can you even stand me? Pearce can’t. Do you believe he said that to me? He can’t stand me.”
Nina handed her a tissue and stroked her blond hair. “Candace, we don’t think that at all. We love you and we know you’re here for us if we need you.”
I walked to my room to search for my phone. If I texted Beau now, I could still catch him before he made it to the bar.
It had been well before Christmas since the three of us had a night together at the house alone. Candace might be feeling like crap now, but Nina and I could get her through this. She and Pearce hadn’t been together long enough for her to be so wrapped up in him. A girls’ night would put everything back in perspective.
I walked to the living room. “Why don’t we make sundaes or brownies?” I stopped. Standing in our living room was a towering muscled athlete with his arms around my tear-stained roommate. Nina was planted on the couch, looking as dumbfounded as I felt.
“Hi, Pearce.”
“Sup, London?” He didn’t make eye contact with me. He was focused on Candace. He brushed her tears away with his thumb.
Before I could ask what in the hell was going on, she took him by the hand and lead him down the hall to the bedroom that hadn’t been slept in, in several weeks.
I shrugged my shoulders in defeat at Nina. Candace had been sucked back into the portal that was Pearce Hudson. We probably wouldn’t see her again for another month or until the next time Pearce broke up with her.
“Can you believe that shit?” Nina fumed.
“There’s nothing we can do about it. She’s crazy about him.”
“Yeah, psycho crazy. Does he have some kind of mind control over her? I’m going to go down there and tell him what I think.”
“Hold on, Nina. You don’t want to go in there. Just think what they’re doing.” I blushed a little knowing Pearce and Candace were in makeup sex heaven.
“You’re right, but I’m done with this. Next time he breaks up with her, I’m not fetching tissues or chocolate.” She crossed her eyes and cast an evil eye down the hall toward Candace’s door. “You better go. You’re late to meet Beau.”
“Shit. I am. Ok. I’ll be home later. Not too late.”
“You should stay out all night. See what happens on one of those Love Match dates.” My persistent roommate giggled.
“You’re not going to give this up, are you?” I hugged her and left for my first fake date.
Date One: Paint the Town Blue
Beau was already at the bar, where they kept wine on tap. I showed my ID at the door to the bouncer, and walked up to my non-date for the evening. Tapping him on the shoulder, I waited for him to turn around.
He had forgone his usual T-shirt attire for a light blue, long-sleeve, button-up shirt. The sleeves were a little tight on his arms. It even looked like he had run some kind of gel through his hair. It was styled and I smelled a hint of aftershave.
“London. You made it. I was getting ready to text you. Thought you stood me up on our first date.” He smiled.
“It’s not a real date.” I didn’t mean to say it like that. I kicked myself and checked my inner bitchy meter.
Unfazed, he continued. “I know. It’s a fake date. Here. I got a glass of wine for you.” He reached across the bar and handed me a glass of something red.
“Thanks.”
