Page 53 of (Not So) Mad About You

“Uh-huh.” Alli’s mouth curved at the corners and for a moment Bea needed to kiss her again.

“But I wanted you to know that I was interested.”

“Message received and understood,” Alli said. She looked around the room. “This isn’t like real life, anyway.”

Bea shook her head. “I suppose not,” she said. It was a fair point, a good one. It seemed like whatever happened here wouldn’t impact the outside world. Like this was a safe space totry things.

Alli reached out tentatively, took Bea’s hand, wrapped her long, strong fingers around it and squeezed.

Bea smiled. “Later,” she said, the word full of promise.

“Later,” said Alli, smiling back.

And then the door opened and Alli was dropping Bea’s hand like it was a hot coal.

“Everyone’s looking for you,” chirped Izzy.

“We were just… going over some yoga moves,” Bea said weakly.

“Oh, well, we’re all in the classroom across the hall,” Izzy said. “Well, all except Charles, of course. He’s been taken away somewhere.”

“Like where?” Alli asked.

Izzy shrugged. “Dunno. We haven’t seen him since he started demanding to speak to Luke and asking for answers.”

“What?” Bea asked.

Izzy filled her in on what had happened.

“But why would he react like that?” Alli said when she’d heard the story for a second time. “Charles is the most un-angry person I’ve ever met, and I should know.”

“Dunno,” Izzy said again. “But he was definitely angry. His lawyer must have told him something. Maybe something about his kids? I can’t imagine why else he’d be so het up.”

“Or maybe anger takes different people in different ways,” Bea said. “Just because you’ve never seen Charles angry doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get angry. He is in an anger management program, after all.”

Izzy shuffled her feet and looked at the floor.

“Iz,” Alli said sternly.

“What?”

“Something you want to say there?”

She looked for an instant like she might be about to say something, but then she shook her head. Even when Alli glared at her, she still said nothing.

“Izzy,” Bea said. “If there’s something you know, then youshould spit it out if it could be helpful.”

“I don’t know anything,” Izzy said. “But I don’t think Charles deserves to be here. Not like you,” she added to Alli.

“Thanks so much,” said Alli.

“She has a point,” said Bea. “You know, you could just buckle down and complete the program, maybe work on some of those issues and improve yourself. You’re here anyway, you might as well take advantage of it.”

“I’m not staying,” Alli said firmly.

Bea almost crumbled, almost said something pathetic. But then Alli looked at her and instead she did just what Alli would have done. She lifted one eyebrow. “Are you not?” she said, the implications very clear in her voice.

Alli flushed and didn’t answer.

---