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“Oh, wow. She’s so sweet. How could they not like her?”
“She’s amazing. They dated all through high school and part of college before breaking up. They recently got back together.”
“Wow,” she breathes out. “You’d never guess.” She shakes her head, eyebrows lifted.
“I know,” I chuckle. “They were made for each other. I’m glad they finally realized it.”
A waiter comes to our table to take our order. After ordering waffles and an omelet for Sage, we get back to our conversation.
“My parents will probably ask a ton of questions at dinner. They won’t be distracted by friends. I say we stick to the same story we told Hudson and Lex about how we met. We can say our relationship is still new, so we won’t need to know every detail about each other, but we should know each other’s birthdays and other important things.” I take a sip of my coffee.
“My birthday is December third. You already know where I went to school and what I was studying in college.”
“Why did you leave? It seems like you were enjoying what you were doing.” It doesn’t add up.
From the sound of it, Sage was good at school and loved being there—unless part of her financial struggles had to do with paying for college.
“It’s a long story.” She presses her lips together in what is supposed to be a smile but looks more like a cringe.
“I’ve got time.” I lean back in my seat and cross my hands on the tabletop.
She takes a deep breath and shakes her head.
“Hey, you can trust me. We’re friends, right? No need to be embarrassed.” I give her a reassuring smile.
Sage looks away, sadness filling her eyes. I lift my hand to grab hers and stop myself. This is different from acting, and I need to keep that line clear. When her eyes finally meet mine, she looks defeated.
“I was diagnosed with lupus when I was twenty. That first year was full of doctor’s appointments, flare-ups, and high emotions. I missed a lot of classes and needed to take things slow to adjust to my new lifestyle.” Her fingers rub against her floppy disc earrings.
“Oh, wow,” I breathe out. I wasn’t expecting that.
“Everything was different. Stress is a huge no-no with lupus, which is impossible since we live in a stress-filled world. My parents and I decided it would be best if I moved back home and took a break from school.” She glances down at the table, picking at her nails. I don’t know what to say.
“It was supposed to be temporary,” she adds before I can come up with a response. “One thing led to another, and here I am, five years later, without a college degree.” She shrugs, but sadness rolls off her in waves.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she nods. “There’s no cure for lupus, but I take medication and have learned how to handle it. I need to take care of myself, watch what I eat and drink, but I’ll survive.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” I mean it, too.
I don’t know much about lupus, but I can imagine that if untreated, it could become complicated, like any other disease.
“Thanks. I don’t like to talk about it. I hate people pitying me, so if we—“ Her brows dip with worry.
“I won’t say a word, but thank you for telling me. If we’re going to spend time together, I’d like to know what’s going on.”
“I know. It’s just that in the past, people haven’t understood the disease, and they didn’t stick around once they realized hanging out with me wouldn’t be all fun and games.” Her head drops with a sigh, shaking slightly.
“Well, I’m not a jerk like those people. Friendship means sticking with someone through the good and bad. I’m sorry you experienced that.”
She glances up at me, hope rounding her eyes.
The waiter chooses this moment to bring our food, breaking the spell those dark eyes always seem to cast on me. We change subjects, turning to lighter conversation.
“When’s your birthday?” Sage asks.
“May twenty-fifth.”
