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I was foolish for wanting him. I knew that. I'd had more than enough time in our eight-year friendship that I could have fallen in love with him, wanted us to be more than just friends. But I hadn't. And now that he was with someone else—regardless of how I felt about Tiffany—it wasn't fair for me to come out about my feelings for him. No, it was wrong, and I would get over it.
Because, above all else, my friendship with Landon was what mattered.
I pulled my phone out and downloaded the stupid dating app that everyone used now. I'd seen multiple ads on social media about how everyone was meeting their forever life partner on this app, and I needed to get out of the funk I was in. Perhaps I was just wearing rose-colored glasses around Landon, or missing our friendship. And once I started dating again, I would get over it.
Even though Landon was the one that was supposed to be setting me up on dates in our dating game, I started swiping. Landon was gone by now, and I breathed in relief that he wasn't going to try to talk to me anymore tonight.
Despite the late hour, I was already matched with three men that I'd swiped right on. Two of them had already sent me messages, so I replied to each one of them. Before I fell asleep, I had a date set up for Friday with a guy named Zach. His picture was a very beachy looking, active guy with blonde hair and green eyes. He had a picture of him on a surfboard, him with what I assumed was his mom, and a picture of him reading. We had a conversation about the cat, who was his one and only roommate in the apartment he lived in on the business side of the city. He worked as an environmental engineer and had been living in the city for six years. Our conversation was goofy and lighthearted, which was exactly what I needed.
18
Landon
"Goodmorning,"Isaidas I sat down at the table with four of the usual group. They all stared at me in silence as I scooted my chair into the table and took a sip of coffee. For some reason, everyone was giving me the same odd look.
"Where's Belle?" Mandy asked, giving me an accusatory glare.
"I thought she would already be here, actually." She was gone before I left for the gym and still gone when I got back, so I'd assumed she would have been at Grumpy Coffee before everyone else, as usual.
But her seat was noticeably empty. The guilt I felt last night hadn't gone away, and her absence only made the feeling intensify. I was the worst.
The group remained silent, everyone eating or drinking whatever they'd ordered. It was the most awkward encounter with them that I'd ever had, and my conscience told me that it was because they knew. Belle wouldn't tell the whole group what I did. No, she wasn't that kind of person. Instead of sharing hurt feelings with Mandy or Leslie, she would keep her hurt feelings to herself. So I knew they didn't know what happened last night, but somehow I still felt that they knew something.
"What?" I asked, finally unable to withstand the silence any longer. Mandy specifically kept looking at me with that suspicious glance.
"I'm just wondering how you don't know where Belle is…when you live with her." Mandy crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes flaring with anger as red as her short hair. "And you had a movie night with her last night."
I looked away at her words, not wanting to admit that I didn't actually have the movie night.
"You did have the movie night last night, right? I thought she said it was Tuesday," Leslie chimed in. I ran a hand over my face.
"No, we didn't." Please, would they just leave it at that?
"Why not?" Mandy demanded, leaning across the table. In return, I leaned back, running a hand through my hair.
I stayed silent, and everyone's eyes were on me. Even Andrew and Cooper were waiting for my response. After Mandy gave me another look that said, "Just spit it out," I sighed.
"I forgot about the movie night."
"What?" Leslie and Mandy both asked at the same time, their tones matching levels of confusion and shock.
"How do you forget?" Cooper asked, and I cut him a glare. He was totally not being a bro right now.
Knowing that I wouldn't make it out of this coffee shop without giving them some answers, I responded. "Tiffany called me before I left for work and asked me to go out with her. My mind completely slipped, and I forgot that I promised Belle that I would have the movie night with her."
"You didn't," Leslie whispered, as if she actually didn't believe me.
I just nodded shamefully.
"No wonder she's not here." Mandy was now fully glaring at me.
"Not cool, Landon," Cooper added.
"I know. I feel terrible about it, and Belle won't talk to me. I walked in, and she had gotten snacks ready…and just waited for me. When I got back from taking Tiffany home, she was locked in her room and wouldn't let me talk to her. I called her twice this morning, and she won't answer." I explained myself. Why? Because I apparently wanted to dig my own grave.
"Hold on. Did you walk in your house with Tiffany?" Mandy asked, horror on her face.
I nodded again.
