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“You know, I’d worry he was going to break her heart. But, I’m not sure she’s not going to break his first.”
Mason sighed. “Maybe they’ll realise it’s not working before too much damage is done?”
I nodded and looked after them. I couldn’t tell if they were still having a heated discussion or if they were exchanging flirty banter.
“I guess it’s not up to us to dictate it’s not working…” I said more wistfully than I’d intended.
“Pipe…”
I gave a half-hearted laugh. “I’m fine, Mase.”
“For what it’s worth – and I know you know him better – but I’m pretty sure he’s miserable.”
My laugh was more a huff this time. “Thanks. But, I’m going to let it go. I made the decision I wanted to be with him. And, he made the decision to not be with me. A relationship takes two and I have to respect his decision even if I don’t agree with it.”
Mason chuckled. “You sound like you’ve thought about this a lot.”
I sighed. “Oh, I have. By myself, with Hadley –who’s still all for castrating him – with Dr Freeman. I’ve spent too much time thinking about him, really.”
My eyes slid back to where Hadley and Tucker were still in close conversation. I knew my best friend and I was wondering how much of the advice she’d had for me in regards to Roman was showing itself now. Was she freaking out about falling for Tucker? Was she just forcing something to work that wasn’t supposed to? Was she actually just as inept at the whole dating thing as I was after all?
But, it really didn’t matter in the end because she had to make her own paths and her own mistakes. All I could do was be there for her when she needed me the way I’d learnt to let her be there for me.
I picked up my glass again and realised it was empty.
“Right, I need a refill. Who else?”
Celeste put her hand up and I pushed up from the table and headed inside to get us more drinks. More caffeine meant more toilet breaks and a slight increase in the anxious racing of my heart. But, it also kept me oddly focussed and was far too delicious to pass up.
On a night we’d all decided was going to be a night off from study, we went for ice cream. So of course, the boys decided to play leapfrog with the poles outside the shop again.
I winced as Simon leapt over the pole, but he cleared it.
“See, itisfine this time!” Tucker crowed and I shook my head and pointed my spoon at him.
“That’s what you say until someone loses a nut,” I said.
“All right. You’ve got no nuts. Why don’t you show us how it’s done?” Simon said.
I nodded. “Fine, then.”
“You’re too short,” Marty laughed.
I held my ice cream cup to Mason, who took it from me with an encouraging wry smile. “I’ll show you short!”
I lined myself up as they all called things out; some encouraging, some jokingly disparaging. I flipped off the naysayers and rubbed my hands together.
“That’s going to help is it?” Mason laughed.
“Shut up, all good gymnasts do this before a trick.”
“I think it’s called an apparatus,” Henry said.
“And, I think they have chalk,” Hadley offered.
“You can both shut it,” I laughed.
“Come on then, shorty.”
