Page 8 of His to Save

“’Sup, man?” He lifts his chin in greeting as I slide into the opposite side of the booth.

“Not a whole lot,” I say, causing Scarlet to scoff. Girl holds a grudge like no one else I’ve ever known—except for my dad, maybe—but if I start thinking about him, I’m going to start thinking about Nora, and then the night will for sure end in a fight.

Ellis’s eyes flit between us, but with a subtle shake of my head, he lets it go. “I’d like y’all to meet Callie. Cal, this is my roommate, Atlas, and his girl Scarlet.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Heard a lot about you,” I tell her while Scarlet plays on her phone, ignoring all of us.

Callie’s cheeks turn a deep shade of pink. “It’s nice to meet y’all, too.”

I nudge Scarlet with my elbow, not even trying to keep up with her mood swings. If I didn’t know better, I’d think my girlfriend had a thing for my best friend. But she can barely stand him most days. Still, no reason for her to be rude, especially when she’s the one who dragged us out here for a double date.

For a second, I worry she’s not going to put her phone away, but after she finishes typing something out, she sighs and locks the screen before sliding the slim device back into her purse.

“Sorry about that,” she says, not sounding the least bit sorry. “So, tell me, Sarah, how did y’all meet?”

“Her name’s Callie,” Ellis and I correct her in tandem, but Scarlet just smiles and murmurs another feigned apology.

“Well, it’s actually a pretty funny story.” Callie smiles up at my best friend, and I’ve got to admit, the way she doesn’t even falter a little in the face of Scarlet’s cattiness impresses me. “I was driving down the older part of Driftwood Way—you know, where it’s only a single lane of traffic?—and he was coming from the other way, so I tried moving over to make room for his beast of a truck and I got stuck in the mud!”

Ellis laughs. “My beast came in handy, though, didn’t it?”

“Your winch did, anyway,” she quips, reaching for her drink.

“Isn’t that charming.” The strain in Scarlet’s voice steals my focus away from the happy couple. She’s usually pretty pleasant—even around Ellis—but tonight she’s all poison, and I’m not really sure why.

“Why don’t you go and grab us a pitcher and ask for them to start us a tab?” I ask, trying to get this night back on track.

“I could definitely use a damn drink.” She stands from the table and stalks off toward the bar without so much as a backward glance.

“Who in the hell pissed in her Cheerios?” Ellis asks as soon as she’s gone.

“I think I did,” I admit, running my hands through my hair.

“I know she’s a spitfire, but tonight she’s more like a fucking bonfire doused in gasoline.”

Callie props her elbows on the table, balancing her chin on her fists. “I just figured she didn’t like me.”

Ellis laughs. “I don’t think Scar likes anyone.”

I nearly laugh, but swallow the sound back before it can escape. I’m already on thin ice with her, and despite being unsure about the future of our relationship, I can’t stand by and let him talk shit. “She’s not that bad. Honestly. Scarlet’s typically pretty nice, if a little high-strung. Our night got off to a bad start because I forgot we had plans.”

“In the doghouse, huh?” Ellis laughs, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “Woof!”

My best friend is a complete and total jackass.

“Shut up.”

“No, seriously, what’d you do?”

“Well…” I glance toward the bar and see there’s still a few patrons ahead of Scarlet. “I found Nora’s diary in our mailbox, and?—”

“I’m sorry, what?” Ellis cuts me off. “Why in the hell would your little sister’s diary be in our mailbox?”

“She’s not my sister,” I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose. “And I haven’t figured out the why yet, but she left a sticky note on it asking me to please read it.”

“And you’re actually doing it?” Ellis’s whole face screws up. “Like, you’re reading all about her little teenage crushes and shit?”

Callie cuts her eyes at Ellis and then to me. “Yes, because that’s all girls are capable of, right?”

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