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“Dude, her parents passed away.” Brooke looked at me apologetically.
“Way to go, dude.” Lauren shook her head.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” I said quickly, seeing Stacy’s embarrassed expression.
The waitress approached us, pad in hand. “Good afternoon, ladies. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Let’s do Mimosas!” Lauren suggested, her eyes wide with excitement.
“Five Mimosas, coming right up.” The waitress left our table in a hurry.
“So, did you live in Manhattan?” Michelle asked.
“No. I was about twenty minutes away in Staten Island.”
“That’s one of the four boroughs, right?”
“Five, yes.”
“What’s it like there?” Stacy asked. “We’ve been dying to plan a girls’ trip to New York for the longest time.”
I shrugged. “It’s hard explaining it when it’s your home. The things that excite tourists don’t seem all that awesome to us. Manhattan is definitely full of things to do. Staten Island is much more residential.”
“You don’t look like you’re from Staten Island,” Lauren stated. “I thought everyone there looked like Snooki.”
I laughed once. “No, she’s definitely one of a kind.”
The waitress returned, placing a tall champagne glass in front of each of us. After she took our lunch orders, conversation bounced around from New York, to makeup, to hair extensions. I stayed quiet mostly, sipping my drink that continuously got refilled each time it was found empty. It was only when I stood to make a trip to the restroom that I realized how much I had actually drank.
“Whoa,” Brooke said as she steadied herself. “How long have we been sitting here?”
“Five Mimosas too long,” I replied. We walked arm-in-arm to the bathroom, giggling all the way.
“I like drunk Merritt,” Brooke called out in the stall next to mine.
“Why’s that?”
“You loosen up more, you laugh more. It’s nice to see you like that.”
“Geez, am I that awful to be around when I’m sober?”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” She flushed, and began washing her hands. “I can tell you’ve been through some shit in your life. It makes me feel sad. I like seeing you happy.”
I emerged from the stall, and looked at her in the mirror. “Thanks. I appreciate you inviting me out with your friends. It’s nice to feel like I have someone out here.”
She put her arm around my shoulders. “I got your back, dude.”
“Ditto,” I replied.
An hour later, I clomped up the stairs to my apartment. Tiredness had swept over me, and I could not wait to crawl into bed to take a nap being that I had a few hours until I had to be at work. I pushed open the door and made a beeline for the kitchen to grab a water bottle. I chugged half the bottle, and rummaged through my purse for aspirin. Suddenly, a shadow looming behind me startled me.
“Oh my God, Chase!” Water spilled all over me as I squeezed the bottle in fear. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here,” he laughed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Well, you failed.” I continued looking through my purse.
“What are you looking for in there?”
