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I shake my head to let her know to drop it.
The meal goes surprisingly well. There’s nothing left by the time everyone has had seconds. We bought ice cream for dessert, but no one has room for it now, so we sit around, nursing our drinks as we talk. Well, everyone else talks. Grant, Michael, and I purposely stay quiet. Michael, because he’s brand new to the group and likely just feeling everyone out. Me, because I’m barely following the thread of conversation. And Grant…well, who knows what Grant is thinking. That wink really threw me. Is it a peace offering? A way forward for us?
I so desperately want to get to a good place with him, I really do, right up until I see Dustin lean over to hold up his phone so Grant can read something on the screen.
“Lizzy and her friends just sent that,” Dustin says with a proud smile. “They’re at a bar not far from here. Should we go?”
How rude! If you have something to share, share it with the whole class, Dustin. Maybe we all want to go to the bar with Lizzy and her fun friends!
Grant doesn’t even hesitate. He nods and pushes to stand, and every single bite of the dinner I just ate turns to stone in my stomach. They’re going to go meet them. Grant’s going to leave so he can go flirt with Lizzy, beautiful Lizzy, stylish Lizzy. She’s probably a genius too. I imagine she’s like a civil rights attorney or something equally as impressive because I’m already drowning so why not make it just a little bit worse for myself?
Before they leave, Grant and Dustin collect dirty dishes and cart them into the kitchen. The two of them get to work in there cleaning, and I’m nearly fuming. How dare Grant make it less easy to hate him?
Run off to Lizzy, already! Scram.
Once they’re done, they stroll back out into the living room, but I can’t even look up at them.
“We’re heading out,” Dustin says. “Kitchen’s spotless. Just the way you like it, Daphne.”
She hums but ignores him, texting away on her phone like he’s not even worth a moment of her time. I wish I could be like that with Grant.
“Where are you going?” Nick asks, offended that he’s not included even though up until now, he’s been fully splayed out on the floor groaning about how full he is. He has a throw pillow under his head and a second ago, he asked Sophia to toss him his favorite fuzzy blanket. He’s full-on cocooning down there.
“To a bar,” Dustin supplies.
Nick doesn’t move. “Count me out, boys.” Then he salutes them on their way to the door. “Don’t worry about me! I’m all set here!”
They totally ignore him.
“Really, wouldn’t want you guys to stay back on my account!” he calls out. “Tell the girls I’m sorry. I know they’ll be asking about me!” Once they leave, he turns toward us. “Well…what should we do now? You guys want to play strip poker?”
FIFTEEN
TATE
I’m not really feeling like myself lately. Something’s off. Last night, I was watching TV and a commercial played where a war veteran returned home to be reunited with her golden retriever. When the soldier bent down to pet him, she realized he was surprising her with a Le Vian chocolate diamond necklace, which he was wearing around his neck like a collar. Never mind the logistics of a dog purchasing fine jewelry. I’m tearing up right now just thinking about the moment she wrapped her arms around his furry neck and in return, he rested his paw on her shoulder. So tender! So poetic! Daphne had to wrestle the TV remote out of my hand and hide it from me after that. She’s totally fed up, not just with me, but with Sophia too.
Sophia thinks something is going on with Josh. It started a few weeks ago with him starting to distance himself from her a little bit, but she brought it up again last night.
“I feel like he was rushing me off the phone last night.”
Daphne didn’t see the problem. “So? Big deal.”
“Big deal? We’re in love! We want to spend every second of every day talking to each other!”
“Blech. You need a hobby.”
“You’re not helping!”
This is when I chimed in from my dramatic supine position on the couch. Half my body hung off, draped onto the floor. I was staring off into space, damn near catatonic. “He’s probably going to dump you,” I said, completely monotone.
The two sisters looked at me like, Really? That’s your advice right now?
I followed it up with, “You might as well break up with him before he breaks up with you because love is a sham anyway. Has anyone heard from Dustin about that Lizzy girl? I can’t find her on Instagram…”
