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I scarfed down everything. There was braised pork with rice, whole steamed fish, fried rice with crab juice and the crab itself, pork belly with mustard greens, sautéed cabbage, bok choy, egg tofu, Chinese broccoli, and a ton of other food I wished I knew how to make at home. Thomas was clearly enjoying the meal, too, if the moaning coming from his direction was any indication.
I started slowing down about halfway through dinner.
“Are you two dating?” Jozy asked.
I spewed a huge glob of water all over my plate. The girls started laughing, and Thomas was immediately there with napkins to help me wipe up the mess.
“I’m guessing that’s a no,” Jozy said. “That’s too bad.”
I looked up at her with a quizzical face.
“You two are so cute together. It really is a shame.”
That got me upset. “Why would it be a shame? I already have someone.” Then panic hit me. That wasn’t true anymore; I no longer had Brandon.
“You do?” Millie asked. “And Jozy can be a bit too forward at times. Please excuse her.”
I saw Millie give Jozy a pointed look, who raised her hands and backed off, so I let the subject drop. But I knew from the look on Millie’s face that she wasn’t going to let this go. Thomas was also looking at me, and I felt like the spotlight on me wasn’t going anywhere for a while. I excused myself and went to the bathroom. Sure enough, Millie followed.
“You know, there’s nothing to tell,” I told her as soon as we entered the bathroom.
“That’s what you say, but there’s always a story when a girl says she has someone when she clearly doesn’t.”
I looked at Millie, who wasn’t laughing and was quite serious in her stance.
“What makes you say that?”
“You’re always blushing when Thomas is with us, and you moved to San Francisco without batting an eye. Remember when we first met? You invited me over, but I couldn’t come that day, then you said you were always home if not at work, so your door was always open. No one says that if they have a boyfriend or were planning to move.”
Well, she got me there.
“I . . .” Turning on the faucet, I splashed some cool water on my face. I took some deep breaths, but my pulse wouldn’t slow down, and I could feel my face warming up.
“Are you okay?” Millie asked, and I felt her hand on my back, making small circles.
“I’m okay. Just need a second.” But it was more than a second before I finally caught my breath. “Sorry, I’m not sure what came over me.”
Millie handed me a paper towel, and I wiped my face clean. “It’s nothing, and I like what you did with your hair.”
I touched the ends and stared at the bright red strands. “Yeah.” I smiled. “It was the last thing Jill and I did together before she left last weekend.”
“Can I ask you something?” Millie suddenly asked, lifting up my chin so I was looking at her.
“Yes, of course.”
“There really is someone, isn’t there?”
“There was,” I admitted, and I almost started crying again.
“What do you mean therewas?”
“I let him go.”
“He must have done something bad. Probably best to move on then.”
I started bawling then, and it was a bit before I calmed down again.
Millie pulled back from hugging me and shook her head. “He has no idea how lucky he is, does he?”
