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I rub a tired hand over my face. “Had a huge argument with Mum and Dad, and then they were up all hours shouting at each other.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. That’s rough. Never gets any easier, eh?” Quin asks, although his question is rhetorical.
He catches the attention of the barista—who happens to be his girlfriend—and then points at me. I turn to wave at her, and she gives me a grin before making my drink.
“So, what’s so important you had me meet you here?” I ask.
“Just trying to give you a nudge in the right direction, Jake,” Jessica, Quin’s girlfriend, says, appearing next to me. She exchanges a knowing look with Quin as she places an Espresso in front of me.
I raise an eyebrow at her. “A nudge in the right direction?’”
Jessica nods. “After the parade, once it’s dark, that’s when all the masquerade stuff starts happening.”
I shake my head. “You’ve lost me.”
“Maddie will be there, wearing a mask. You will be there, wearing a mask. We just think it will be a good opportunity for you and her to finally realise you should be together,” Jessica explains.
I narrow my eyes on her for a long moment before my brain kicks back into gear. “Maddie and I are just friends. I keep telling you this.”
Quin snorts. “Mate, you’ve been miserable the whole time you’ve been apart. I think it’s time you tell her how you feel.”
“You’ve lost your fucking mind, Quin.”
“Dress smart, mate,” he says as he slides a black box over the table towards me.
I look at him for a minute, trying to figure out if this is just some crazy ploy to prank me. But I can’t see any signs of mischievousness on his face.
I lift the lid of the box slowly, wondering what I’m about to find.
A black and silver mask is nestled in the box. I blow out a frustrated breath. My friends have seen through my shit and are now trying to hook me up with Maddie.
“Am I that fucking pathetic?” I glower, lifting the mask from the box and turning it over to find the elastic that will secure it to my head.
“You’re not pathetic, Jake,” Quin replies. “I know how it feels, what it’s like when the woman you love feels the same way,” he says softly. He and Jessica share a look that makes me feel like I’m intruding on an intimate moment. He returns his attention to me, his expression serious. “Trust me. Maddie feels the same way about you, and it’s time you two gave it a chance.”
Jessica glances over her shoulder, checking on customers. “Gotta go serve, love,” she says, squeezing my arm as she heads back behind the counter. She pauses, turning back to me. “Don’t let fear hold you back, Jake. It just leaves you with regrets.”
