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“How about this,” I continued as if Cat hadn’t spoken. “Let’s all hang out together. You and Jeremiah, me and Michael, and Andrew. I bet you I can show you how little affect Andrew has on me, and how in love with Michael I am. If I win, you have to stop trying to hook me up with Andrew.”
“And if I win?”
The rock of the suggestion weighed heavily in my stomach, but I said it anyway. “If you win, I’ll consider breaking up with Michael. But I have to have time to consider it,” I cautioned.
“That’s all I ask,” Cat said. “Fine, then; it’s a deal.”
I had a bad feeling about this. Much like Andrew, Cat was intuitive in this sense. And she never took a bet she wasn’t sure to win. I just hoped I didn’t lose my heart in the process.
* * *
We set the day and time for the next day around 6 p.m. Neither Andrew nor Michael knew about mine and Catalina’s bet, and I wasn’t about to tell them. Michael agreed to hang out with everyone easily enough, and Andrew, less so. “Seems like a fifth-wheel type of situation,” he said.
“It’ll be fun,” I said. “Don’t worry, you’ll see.”
“Sure,” he said. “Okay.”
He didn’t sound convinced.
I walked up to Cat’s with my heart fluttering like wild bats caught in a girl’s hair. I hope this was a good idea. I also hoped that Andrew lived up to his true nature of always being late. Michael had to work late at the store, but I was convinced it wouldn’t take Catalina long to see what I saw: that Andrew and I may be cool, but my feelings for him were solidly in the past. I may have fallen in love with him in high school and nurtured that love in college, but he rejected me. There was no way I would give him a second chance to dismiss my feelings for him. I couldn’t watch him go from girl to girl and hold out hope that we could be together. We would be friends, nothing more.
I put my hand up to knock on the door, forming a fist and knocking heartily. I tapped my foot, fidgeted with the neck hole of my shirt.
“Nervous about something?”
I almost peed my pants a little. As I turned to face Andrew, I glared. “No,” I snapped. “Can you make even just a little noise when you move?”
“What would be the fun in that?” He grinned as he brushed his hands against my fidgeting ones. “Down, girl.”
Before I could open my mouth to retort, the door swung open before us. Cat stood in the doorway, smiling at first then smirking when she saw Andrew’s hand over mine. I snatched mine away quickly and blushed.
“Welcome to our humble abode,” Cat said, sweeping her hand out to the side and stepping away from the doorway. “Andrew, have you been here since we moved back?”
“Nope.” He stepped through first, looking around. “Nice place. Good vibes.”
“Thanks,” Cat said, preening a little. She looked up toward the stairs. “Jer! Andrew and Ace are here!”
“Just them two?” Came the answer.
“Yup.” Cat smirked again. I rolled my eyes.
Jeremiah came bounding down the stairs in socked feet. He and Andrew embraced, then he bussed a kiss to my cheek. “Good to see you both. Where’s Michael?”
“Working,” I said quickly. Cat gave me a shrewd look. “He should be on his way soon.”
“Okay.” Cat clapped her hands twice. “Well, we’ve got pizza. Ballin’ on a budget and all that.”
“Of course,” Andrew and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed. Cat was always “ballin’ on a budget.” For someone who seemed to love the finer things in life, she knew how to find a deal or cut back expenses. Food was one of those expenses—ironic, given that her husband was practically a chef.
“One day, everyone will appreciate my ability to find a good deal.” Cat hmphed, nose stuck in the air. “Until then, eat your free pizza and like it.”
“How many toppings does it have?” I asked. “Or did the coupon say you could only get cheese?”
“Bet you it’s just cheese.”
“Who knows, maybe there’s half a pepperoni on one of them.”
“Okay, don’t eat,” she sniffed. She opened a box and mouthwatering flavors seeped out. “These pizzas will last us at least three days. I’m perfectly okay with having y’all starve.”
